GameOn - September 2015 USA PDF

Battlefield 4 Review
Issue 50 December 2013
1 GameOn Magazine
Welcome
Issue 72 October 2015
2 GameOn Magazine
Welcome
Welcome to issue #72 of the GameOn Magazine!
But first, in our articles section, Socrates had a
We finally have those gamescom previews we
play around with PES 2016 (to pair up with our
promised in the last issue, which really do make up
preview by Dom), James gives some tips on your
most of our content this month with 25 of them!
Rocket League game and Ryan thinks hes Stalin.
Amongst them (because who wants to type all those
So, with something for all tastes of gaming, go
game titles out!) are Armikrog and Action Henk from
read the rest of the issue! See you next month!
Luke, WWE 2K16 and Heavy Gear Assault from Dom,

Ryan got a look at Master of Orion, Stellaris and
Gremlins Inc., Reece saw Battleborn and Mafia III, and
Ruth took a look at LEGO Marvels Avengers. We also
have previews for Mad Max and Metal Gear Solid V: The
Phantom Pain, but the reviews will be in the next issue.
The Editor
Contributors
Editor-in-Chief - Steve Greenfield

Editor - Andrew Duncan
We have a couple of other previews too, with the

swinger Energy Hook and grand strategy MMO
Total War: Arena both in Early Access on Steam,
written by myself and Ryan respectively.
Our 15 up-to-date reviews include F1 2015 from Steven,
Matt with The Flock, Ben got some hacking practice
with Hacknet, Matt had No Time To Explain Remastered
and Calum killed some teens in Until Dawn.
Games Critic - James Bralant

Games Critic - Ryan Davies
Games Critic - Ian Kuan
Games Critic - Ruth Krabacher
Games Critic - Ben McCurry
Games Critic - Andrew Duncan
Games Critic - Socrates
Games Critic - Dom DAngelillo
Games Critic - Christian Wootton
Games Critic - Reece Armstrong
Games Critic - Luke Greenfield
Games Critic - VodKaVK
Games Critic - Calum Parry
Games Critic - Matt Wilhelm
3 GameOn Magazine
Contents
14
SHORT THOUGHT: WHEN SHOULD I GET DESTINY?
126
MAD MAX GAMESCOM PREVIEW
122
METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN GAMESCOM PREVIEW
148
F1 2015 REVIEW
4 GameOn Magazine
Contents
60
FIVE CHANGES COMING TO FIFA 16
The Lost Levels of So I Tried.....................................6

Holding Back the Hordes in Total..............................
War: Attila - Part 2................................................8
Short Thought: When Should I Get Destiny?........14
Short Thought: Why is Nathan Drake in the............
Army? and other voiceover confusions..........16
Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 Demo Impressions...18
Videogames and Wanton Tyranny........................20
Roguelikes are Not my Cup of Tea........................24
Improving Your Game of Rocket...............................
League - Part #1.................................................30
The Crew: Wild Run gamescom Preview..............34
Armikrog gamescom Preview................................38
Master of Orion gamescom Preview....................40
Four Huge Improvements in PES 2016.................44
Mighty No. 9 gamescom Preview..........................48
WWE 2K16 gamescom Preview.............................52
Back To Dinosaur Island 2 gamescom Preview...56
Five Changes Coming to FIFA 16...........................60
Typoman Updated gamescom Preview................64
Kingdom gamescom Preview................................68
Into the Stars gamescom Preview........................72
Dub Dash gamescom Preview...............................76
Super Dungeon Bros gamescom Preview............78
Gremlins Inc. gamescom Preview.........................82
Crossout gamescom Preview................................86
Stellaris gamescom Preview..................................90
Heavy Gear Assault gamescom Preview..............96
Hearts of Iron IV Updated..........................................
gamescom Preview..........................................100
52
WWE 2K16 GAMESCOM PREVIEW
Action Henk gamescom Preview.........................104

Oriental Empires gamescom Preview................106
Paladins gamescom Preview...............................110
LEGO Marvel Avengers gamescom...........................
Preview.............................................................114
Destiny: The Taken King gamescom .........................
Preview..............................................................118
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom..............................
Pain gamescom Preview.................................122
Mad Max gamescom Preview..............................126
Total War: Arena Preview.....................................130
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 Preview.................134
Energy Hook Preview............................................138
Hacknet Review.....................................................140
Giana Sisters: Dream Runners Review...............144
MISSING: An Interactive.............................................
Thriller - Episode One Review........................146
F1 2015 Review......................................................148
Funk of Titans Review...........................................152
Biodrone Battle Review........................................154
The Flock Review...................................................158
Until Dawn Review................................................162
Legends of Eisenwald Review..............................166
Party Hard Review.................................................172
Executive Assault Review.....................................176
Shadowrun: Hong Kong Review..........................180
No Time To Explain Remastered Review............184
Risen 3: Titan Lords - Enhanced.................................
Edition Review..................................................186
5 GameOn Magazine
Articles
The Lost Levels of So I Tried...

There have been some So I Tried... that Andrew didnt tell anyone about.
By Andrew Duncan
f youre a regular reader

of the segment, you may
be wondering - is Andrew
actually just playing through
his Steam catalogue and
writing about everything? Well,
the series started out as an
excuse to play through the
titles in my backlog - if you
write about games, you tend
to not take the time to play
too many of them. But Ive

not written about every game
Ive played, so far there are
seven games I havent written
about - this is my confession.
I decided to write this as I want
to give full disclosure to you,
the readers. I was playing what
should have been the latest
entry of the series and had to

stop for family reasons - and it
reminded me of how I hadnt
finished writing about more
than one title Id started for
So I Tried... The opening blurb
always states that I will play a
game no matter how poorly I
do or how badly it sucks - this
hasnt always been true.
In one instance, I stopped
writing about a game because
it didnt have a campaign
or story mode - Demigod.
Another, I stopped playing
because I was bored of it well
before the half hour mark
- Sid Meiers Railroads.
However, its not always a
conscious decision to give
in and not write up a game.
I completely forgot to write
up Fez, after a fairly pleasant
half-hour. A day after the
fact and the article is ruined
6 GameOn Magazine
Articles

- I always write it up as soon
as I finish playing. In the
case of The Witcher 2, my
computer just cant handle
it on the lowest settings.
Ampu-Tea turned out to not
have enough in it to write about,
and so was abandoned before
write-up. Conversely, Two
Worlds: Epic Edition has a bit
too much to experience in only
half an hours playtime. And X:
Beyond the Frontier had such a
long cutscene after the tutorial,
I didnt experience enough of
the game to form an opinion!
So I apologise to all of the titles
above, and especially to Pixel
Puzzles: Japan - which was to
be the latest So I Tried... By
way of apology Ill do a brief
summary for all seven games.
Which am I still
playing?
None of them. Ampu-Tea
is hardly the single-player
narrative masterpiece I look
for, Demigods the same but
with less of a Lets Play angle.
Pixel Puzzles: Japan is slow
and boring (just like a physical
jigsaw puzzle), more so than
Sid Meiers Railroads which
was far too involved - but I
really should have expected

from a Sid Meiers title.
Fez, Two Worlds and X were
actually enjoyable enough, but
they arent installed anymore.
I intend on going back to Two
Worlds at some point, and I
might just skip ahead to X2
when I return to that series.
Fez, however, wasnt something
I could see myself playing a
whole lot of, so it came off.
So what now?
Ill carry on writing up games
as normal. If people appreciate
this little confession, Ill keep
a better log of what I play

but dont write as an article,
then every five or so Ill write
up another Lost Level.
Whats more, Ive started to
work on some video editions
of So I Tried - with a retro
spin. By the time you read
this, the first one should be
live and you can find it here.
Instead of a half hour play, Ill
play them for fifteen minutes
and record it, then speed it
up to about five minutes and
talk over that - but well see
how it goes. Your feedback
is greatly appreciated!
7 GameOn Magazine
Articles
Holding Back the Hordes in Total War: Attila - Part 2

Ryan is still battling the hordes with the forces of Rome.
By Ryan Davies
elcome to Holding
Back the Hordes,
a series of articles
following my journey through a
new Total War: Attila campaign.
At the head of the Eastern
Roman Empire, Ive made it my
task to hold back the barbarian
hordes; defending my capital of
Constantinople while keeping
invaders out of my lands for
good - all while pushing my
Empire to new found glory.
In the first part of this series, I

put in place the building blocks
of my new empire with a focus
on farming and increased
income - although that focus
meant I wasnt prepared when
disease struck my lands and
spread like wildfire. On the
bright side, I managed to kick
the Visigoths out of Greece and
kill off their infamous leader
Alaric, reversing the path of

history. This part begins with
my empire still suffering from
disease, but developing slowly
and surely. Plus, with a new
enemy attacking from the West,
I turn my Third Legion towards
Northern Africa to put down
the invading Garamantians.
My project for faction-wide
sanitation continues. Im
building a large number of
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cleansing constructions that
should help thwart the disease,
although given how well it has
now penetrated my lands, I
might just have to wait it out.
At least my armies have still
avoided it. The last couple of
turns have been punctuated by
me declaring war on a rather
silly number of tribes. Of course,
Im not actually attacking them,
rather Im joining a war that
the Western Roman Empire
have been forced in to. So Im
at war with the Visigoths once
again, only around a year after
topping off their leader and
making peace. Im also at war
with a bunch of Britannic and
Frankish tribes like the Picts
and Suebians - so that may
well come back to bite me.
This turn also saw my
biggest problem to date - the
destruction of the Third Legion.
As it marched into North Africa
the Garamantian army it sought
turned and struck back. The
battle slider was set at about
40:60 to me losing, so I took the
reigns thinking I could handle
these desert nomads - turns
out their cavalry can be rather
devastating. It didnt help that
my Third Legion was horribly
overpopulated with ranged
units. Considering the mobility
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Articles

of these Garamantians, I dont
think Ill be needing any more
archers against them in the
future - just more spearmen!
In short, I lost my whole army,
only costing them 600 casualties
(in a cruel parallel to my victory
against Alarics army). Whelp.
Its all kicking off now. Ive
started to build a new legion
in North Africa, this time
better equipped to fight the
Garamantians cavalry-focused
army. Im also making a lot
more money now that the old
legion is dead (every cloud...),
so Ive invested that into some
useful buildings. Unfortunately,
the last few turns have pretty
much made me enemy number
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one. As well as joining the
Western Empire against a
few more tribes, the Sassanid
Empire has gone and declared
war on me, bringing with them a
whole bunch of smaller Middle
Eastern states that will no doubt
descend upon me like madmen.
My Second Legion, which has
been camped out in Turkey for
a while, now has something to
do - although Id much rather
they stay out of any fighting,
not that I can avoid it now.
398AD Winter
- Turn 16
smaller battles against various

Sassanid client states, I take
the fight to the empire itself
- and instantly regret it.
The Legion is pursued through
the Sassanids lands by no less
than four armies! Eventually
they trap me and assault my
army with three whole forces.
I put up a decent fight, and
inflicted almost 2000 casualties
on their 4000 strong army, but
I lose my entire Second Legion
in the process. Not good. This
destruction of armies isnt
something Im entirely used to,

thankfully Ive got the economy
to quickly rebuild new forces,
but taking big casualties so
often is going to have a bad
effect in the long run. I need to
be smarter about where I place
my Legions - because at the
moment Im being overrun.
399AD Summer
- Turn 18
My Fourth Legion, under
Emperor Flavius, has pushed
back against the Garamantians.
With the Empire now engulfed

in true total war, I spend the
last few turns shoring up
defences and making sure my
eastern towns are prepared
for the Sassanids and their
allies. Of course, theres only
so much preparation I can
do. Their armies attack me in
a few different places, with
mixed successes. I manage
to hold them off in a couple
of battles, but they also raid a
couple of towns - surprisingly
not taking the settlements, but
rather destroying buildings
and taking my money. That
is, at least, until I bring my
Second Legion into the fight.
After a couple of successful
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Ive retaken Augila, and now
made a peace agreement. I
had to pay a little gold, but
considering the wave of forces
coming from the East, I need as
many men in that part of the
world as I can get. Ive started
to build two new Legions,
one in Turkey and one near
Jerusalem, so hopefully they
can turn the tide against the
Sassanids and their allies who
have really started to raid my
lands now. For the first time
in the game Ive got a food
shortage (admittedly, its only
a small one), so my troops are
suffering a small amount of

attrition. Plus, the Sassanids
are besieging my key town of
Edessa, which should prove
problematic if they take it - a
highly likely event at this point.
400AD Autumn
- Turn 21
Atilla is born in some far reach
of the world. Which means it
wont be long until the Huns
begin their assault on my
lands. My First Legion is still
going strong up in the Balkans,
so they should be able to
resist any probing threats for

now. While thats going on,
Im finally making my move
against the Eastern factions.
The Parthians, including their
faction leader, fall at the gates
of Aelia Capitolina (which will
become Jerusalem), and my
new Sixth Legion from that
region is starting to make its
way into enemy territory with
several enemy cities on the
horizon. Plus, with my Emperor
Flavius and the Fourth Legion
making a beeline for the same
regions, I should have plenty
of strength pushing into the
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East soon. Edessa and the
surrounding cities are still
under constant attack, but
so far the factions have held
back from actually taking the
cities - seemingly happy to
just let them slowly burn.
400AD Winter
- Turn 24
The tide of the war is turning,
but not without some hiccups
along the way. Food shortages
are continuing to affect my
troops, preventing them from
replenishing and causing a little
attrition. Its difficult to predict

whether I will have enough
food for each turn, but at the
moment Im balancing on a fine
line. More agricultural buildings
are on the way though!
Sad to say, thats not my
only issue. Slowly degrading
public order in a couple of key
provinces is finally causing me
troubles. Rebellions in both
northern Turkey and North
Africa have forced me to divert
troops to the problem spots,
which means my Fourth and
First Legions are no longer
located where Id like them

to be. Thankfully though, the
actual war in the East is going
well. Despite finally losing the
town of Amida, Ive secured
two important open-battle
victories against the Sassanids,
one against the faction leaders
army. With those two armies
out of commission for a while,
Ive got a much better chance
of holding the forces to the
north while pushing into their
lands in the south. This is the
tipping point now - things
could go either way.
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Articles
Short Thought: When Should I Get Destiny?

With the expansion arriving, Andrew muses whether or not to finally take the plunge.
By Andrew Duncan
hen Destiny was

released, it received
a lot of criticism for
being lacking in story, though
we gave it a 9/10 for the rest
of it. With the upcoming
The Taken King expansion,
they are apparently fixing
that issue, amongst others
that the playerbase has
brought to their attention
over the past year.
From what Ive either read
or watched on YouTube, The
Taken King is set to basically
be Destiny 1.5 - not a sequel,
but much more than the
base game. This includes
having Nolan North (voice
of everyone in every game)
come in and voice not only
the new parts of Ghosts
script, but also redo every
single line from start to
finish. The one reason I was
almost a Year-One Adopter
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Articles

was because Ghost was voiced
by Peter Dinklage, and I love
his voice. Yes, there were also
criticisms about the Dinklebot,
but there are also people
who dont want a Nolanbot.
So, more story, and Ghost
voiced by a more accomplished
gaming voice actor, what
else? There are changes to
the levelling up and crafting
systems, which will make those
parts less of a chore, or at
least less useless. Again, this is
according to what Ive read or
watched, not actual experience.
With all of these changes in

mind, why shouldnt I buy a
much more finished game, with
loads more additional content?
Bungies ten year plan. They
put out word last year that they
have plans that could last up
to a decade. Why would I buy
even this second version of
Destiny, when next year there
will be a third? Heck, shortly
after the Definitive Destiny
could be Destiny 2, which would
result in a Destiny Collection
come 2017 - save even more
money! Waiting for all three to
be collected for the PS5 would

make even more sense, surely
Or am I overthinking it, and
I should just shut up and
give Activision some money
for the Legendary Edition
next month? Its been a
while since The Amazing
Spider-Man 2 came out
Id just like to point out that I
have my spell check powered
by Google in Google Docs,
and it didnt flag Dinklebot.
Congratulations, internet.
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Articles
Why is Nathan Drake in the Army?
Short Thought: Why is Nathan Drake in the Army? and other voiceover confusions
Voiceovers can be confusing, at least if youre Ryan.
By Ryan Davies
hat voice is really

familiar, I say to myself
during a sceptical play
session of Spec Ops: The Line.
Who is that?
A quick Google reveals the
mystery voice to be none
other than Nolan North. Of
course its Nolan North! It
obviously wasnt Troy Baker,
so who else could it be?
So, over the course of the next
few hours, I have to adjust to
the very strange reality that
Nathan Drakes voice is echoing
through the arid wastelands
of Dubai, under the guise
of a Delta Force operator. I
know Nate is a bit of a killing
machine, but I never expected
him to go full-on Rambo.
In fact, you can find Nates
voice in a lot of places: stating
the consistently obvious in

Assassins Creed, rolling with
the punches in Deadpool,
or even just providing a bit
of extra chatter in games
like Dying Light and The Last
of Us. Nolan Norths stock
voice will, to me at least,
always be Nathan Drake. So
its a little jarring to hear his
voice on another character;
and you know, I love Nolan
North and think hes an
excellent voice actor, but it
does create some problems.
As people whove grown up
during the age of celebrity,
were accustomed to seeing
the same people fill our
screens/pages day in, day out.
Were used to distinguishing
the difference between young,
thoughtless Leonardo DiCaprio
in Titanic and crazy, hilarious
Leonardo DiCaprio in Django:
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Articles
Why is Nathan Drake in the Army?

Unchained. Well, thats a good
example at least. There are
definitely a fair few Tom Cruise
or George Clooney movies
where its difficult to see any
remarkable change at all. Still,
were used to it, and we suspend
our disbelief accordingly.
With videogames, this can
sometimes be a little more
tricky. In theory, of course, that
shouldnt really be the case.
The visuals are pretty much
always different, allowing our

eyes to trick our minds (hence
having to Google the Spec Ops
VO). Yet theres something
particularly odd about hearing
nothing but an actors voice.
It becomes all too easy to just
centre of that voice, until its
the only thing you notice about
the character. Its a similar deal
with animated movies, too.
eventually, but its an unusual

position. More than ever before,
certain voice actors are gaining
cult celebrity status (in particular
the two aforementioned),
which means theyre unlikely
to slow down anytime soon.
So heres to Nathan Drakes
next big adventure as a space
marine/criminal mastermind/
detective/mystical creature.
Its not like this a true problem.

Im sure well all get used to it
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Articles
Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 Demo Impressions

Socrates takes some time to play the demo to prepare for launch.
By Socrates
IFA 16 will outsell PES 2016.

In the same way that FIFA
15 outsold PES 2015 and
FIFA 14 outsold PES 2014. But
the financial ramifications of
the sales of both games are
best left for the boardroom.
Is PES 2016 good? remains
the more pertinent question.
Or, rather, is it better than

FIFA? Its hard to remember
the last time I enjoyed a
PES game, or at least it was.
PES 2015 was undoubtedly
Konamis greatest effort in the
series since 2006; back then,
Adriano was on the cover. But
the game wasnt without its
problems. Poor presentation,

stiff movement, laughably poor
goalkeepers and unbelievably
strict referees hindered the
experience somewhat.
Another year sees yet another
challenge from Pro Evolution
Soccer on the seemingly
imperious FIFA and, if the
demo is anything to go by,
its Konamis best effort yet.
Whats immediately noticeable
is the fluidity of PES 2016.
Passing is a lot sharper, with
the act of releasing the ball
made much quicker. Players
no longer have the ball stuck
under their feet, and the slight
feeling of sluggishness that
plagued PES 2015 is entirely
gone. Passing is smoother
and more varied, too, and an
added array of animations
serve only to heighten the
sense of realism. The speed
18 GameOn Magazine
Articles

of the game just feels faster,
without straying too far into
an arcade-y, unrealistic style.
Undoubtedly however, the
games biggest improvement
is in its AI. I watched an
interview recently with
Adam Bhatti, PES European
Product Manager, where he
said, and Im paraphrasing
slightly, youll never have to
command the AI to make a
run again. He wasnt kidding.
To say the AI are smart in
PES 2016 would be a gross
understatement. Often in
football, passing is dictated
by the runner more so than
the passer himself. The
runner moves into space,
the man on the ball spots
the run and pings it to him.
In PES 2016, players make
smart runs like these all the
time. My full backs are always
looking to get on the overlap;
midfielders make driving
runs into the box from deep;
strikers look to play off of the
last shoulder of the defender
or run into the channels.
The players will be there, its
up to you to find them.
hours with the demo, playing

on a range of difficulty levels
and with every team, and
no two games have felt the
same -- no two games have
followed the same pattern. I
score different goals, I concede
different goals and I adapt to
the flow of the game. Given
the limited choice of teams, its
an impressive feat, one that
bodes well when the full game
releases this September.
But the demo isnt perfect.
Referees have seen a massive
improvement, but I still found
myself screaming at the
keeper on one too many an
occasion; a football fan will
know what Manuel Neuer
should or shouldnt be saving,
and when it strays into the
latter, it shatters any sense

of immersion. The needlessly
convoluted and difficult setpiece system still remains too,
with dead ball situations as
tough to execute as ever.
But, aside from that, PES
2016 islooking pretty good,
actually, although the full
game still has some important
questions to answer. How will
the revamped Master League
mode look? What changes
have been made to MyClub?
Will I still have to suffer Jon
Champions commentary?
EA are yet to release their
demo for FIFA 16, but, for
the second year running,
they have themselves a
worthy challenger.
Really, what it all leads to

is variety. Ive spent several
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Articles
Videogames and Wanton Tyranny

Ryan feels he may have been playing too many war games.
By Ryan Davies
Honestly, its a surprise he ever

considered even a single death
to be a tragic occurrence.
Thats a quote from Joseph

Stalin, in case you didnt know.
A slightly ironic statement given
the mans bloodied history.
Still. As I sit at my desk, like the

fearsome Georgian dictator
must have many years ago, I
single death is a
tragedy. A million
deaths is a statistic.
cant help but feel as though my

actions are worryingly akin to
his. A bit of sneaky murder here,
mass prisoner slaughter there, a
huge, seemingly unending war.
Of course, the key difference is
that while Stalin sat at his desk
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Articles

youre worried about sending
your war-torn infantrymen
into combat once again. Dont
worry boys, you wont be
fighting Jerry tonight. Go back
now, into the ones and zeroes
that make up my PC. No,
instead we simply click, and
click and click again until either
the enemy or your own troops
are all dead. Whatever the
case, therell be more of both.
organising and ruling the largest

nation on Earth, Im sitting at
my desk playing Total War. Or
Crusader Kings. Or Company of
Heroes. The game doesnt really
matter, the point is: Im causing
millions of virtual deaths, and
I dont think Stalins quote has
ever been more relevant.
have a tendency to give the

player a lot of power over very
many people. We take that
power and, because theyre all
little virtual people that dont
really exist, we barely consider
whether we should or shouldnt
use them and their strengths
like resources to be farmed.
War strategy games (which

probably account for 90% of
all strategy games) certainly
Well, obviously. It would be a

little weird to lose a game of
Company of Heroes because
Its certainly rare that Ill play

a Paradox grand strategy
game and actually think
about all the men Im sending
into battle over a diplomatic
insult. The thousands of dead
people really are nothing but
a statistic - sometimes good,
sometimes bad. If I send
100,000 of my men against
10,000 enemies, then thats
good - more of my boys get
home! But then, I dont really
care about my little digital men
reuniting with their families, I
just need to keep them alive
so I can mercilessly sling them
at the enemy once again.
So with this mentality certainly
ingrained into my gaming
psyche, Im getting a little
worried. OK, maybe worried
isnt the correct word, I just find
it to be a point of interest. All of
21 GameOn Magazine
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a sudden, through the simple
assistance of a videogame, I
find myself thinking more than
a little like a crazed dictator.
From my high tower I give
the orders to little people that
do my bidding. I send them
to die, and I dont give a shit.
Something like Command &
Conquer or Company of Heroes
are certainly good examples of
this, purely because the troops
have no hope of questioning
my omniscient orders.
Yet what happens to that illusion

of dictatorial control in a game
like the aforementioned Total
War, when bad management
can indeed lead to a French
Revolution-esque uprising?
Indeed, its only when your little
minions start making angry
noises that you really start
to listen to them. Or execute
them all. That sometimes
works. Through these signs of
discontent the links between
myself and Mr Stalin resurface
- suddenly his horrific purges
start to make a lot of sense. So

yes, in short, many deaths do
feel like a statistic. Even when
I zoom into the battlefield
in Total War and scan over
the piles of dead bodies, its
tricky not to think of them as
nothing more than a lost or
gained strategic position.
Whats even more interesting
though, is how videogames
fit into the first part of the
quote. You might argue that the
reason I see those little Roman/
22 GameOn Magazine
Articles

Shogunate/WW2/etc soldiers
as a statistic is because thats
what they physically are. Just
numbers represented in digital
visual form. But then, the same
applies for John Marston in Red
Dead Redemption, The Boss in
MGS3 or Joels daughter in The
Last of Us (that one still stings).
Really, its nothing but a perfect
demonstration of just how
good that quote is. These are
characters we care about, have
become invested in - or, well,
sometimes its just dramatic
enough to cause a little tear.
So no, its not just because
its a videogame, its because
large scale war has a dark
tendency to rip the humanity
out of a situation. Its easy
enough for me to sit on my
high throne/office chair
and order about my digital
armies, but when you think
of just how similar that act
is to the real life generals
and dictators - it suddenly all
becomes a little too real.
Would I be capable of
such an act in real life?
I hope not, but I cant help but
feel as though videogames
have prepared me for it,
and that cant be good.
23 GameOn Magazine
Articles
Roguelikes are Not my Cup of Tea

VodKaVK tells us why he isnt a fan of roguelikes.
By VodKaVK
few weeks ago I started

playing Invisible Inc.,
only to find it was one
of the best games I had played
in the past year. As soon as I
installed it I sank tons of hours
in the first couple of days, many
more than Id like to admit. After
two days of shameless antisocial
isolation, I managed to reach
the end of the game and watch
that final cutscene resolve.
After many tries, I managed to
tailor a pair of agents and give
Incognita a set of skills that

worked efficiently with each
other, but also individually.
After more than twelve hours
of playing, I knew enough from
the games system to beat a
campaign that lasts less than
two and a half hours if you do
it right off the bat. Then, the
game encouraged me to try any
of the other higher difficulties
available , offering me a test
to my skills and many hours
more of fun to enjoy. So I took

the challenge: I ramped up the
difficulty and chose my agents.
I then started feeling something
that I had also strangely felt
when playing FTL, or Dont
Starve: boredom; even though
I loved these games. I hesitated
about the reason why I was
submerging in the litany of
completing the game again.
I knew how the plot would
develop and end, and I never
had the feeling that there were
parts of the game I was missing,
even though I still had a couple
of agents to unlock. Did I really
care about the challenge and
how good I was at this game?
Did I really want to get new
agents I was not going to use?
Did I really want more of the
same? It turns out I didnt, and
with it I moved onto the next
game to review. However, it
bugged me for quite a while.
24 GameOn Magazine
Articles

I was able to appreciate the
sheer quality in any of these
games; why was I bored then?
It all came down to the
motivation to keep playing.
The term gamification
has popped up quite often
in conversations about
compulsion and motivation,
whether its in Gamasutra
blogs or corporations coaching
sessions. In the case of
games, it is based around the
idea that a player will need
additional factors to remain
engaged, aside from the basic
mechanics. Most of all of these
factors are different forms
of reward, whether theyre
achievements, new characters,
a score count or new bits of
the narrative. As a general rule,
they are widely separated in
intrinsic and extrinsic factors.
Intrinsic motivators are those
that root in yourself and your
approach, like a desire to beat
a score. Sometimes, these
motivators are not necessarily
gamified. For example, the
simple enjoyment of a games
mechanics may be enough
of a motivator to have you
wasting your life in front of the
screen. The extrinsic ones are
those that the developers place
25 GameOn Magazine
Articles
ahead of you, with the promise

that youll get there someday.
Again, not all of these are
artificially implemented aiming
at gamification. Sometimes
seeing the ending of a game
may be motivating enough. In
some other cases, like Call of
Duty, for example, many spend
uncountable hours trying to
reach the highest prestige, or
unlocking certain weapons or
camos. This level progression
has generally been enabled
so the player can aspire to
higher badges, more powerful
weapons or tackier camos.
Achievements and trophies
that dont affect the game in
any way, but that are markers
of your ability and dedication,
are a clear representation

of artificial motivators.
reward or motivator works

the same way for everybody.
Among all these, only the

extrinsic ones can be considered
gamifying factors. Nevertheless,
the intrinsic/extrinsic dichotomy
is rather artificial, as in many
of these situations there are
both extrinsic and intrinsic
factors. The desire to obtain a
certain badge may be intrinsic,
but the fact that the trophy
is there to achieve, offering
you a chance to show off your
skills in your PSN profile or
even test them for yourself,
makes it an extrinsic factor.
Whats more, some people
may not care about having
trophies at all! Not every
Much of the motivation in

each person to play a game
comes from how that person
approaches games. For
example, some may find
the character progression a
chore, only being interested in
picking up as many collectibles
as possible. This person
would not be interested in
levelling up their Pikachu to
level 100, but they might find
cathing em all the epitome of
entertainment. This doesnt
mean that they wont care
about beating the Elite Four;
it means that this is not their
main motivator in the game.
26 GameOn Magazine
Articles
This is where player types come

into action. Different players
may find different motivators
in different games. Although
not enclosed categories, and
in many occasions dependent
upon the game youre playing,
player type usually determine
what kind of play and/or
game a person will like.
How is all this linked to Invisible
Inc.? Well, Invisible Inc. is a
roguelike game. Mastering
the game, getting to know its
intricacies and key aspects,
is certainly appealing for me.
In roguelikes, you do this
through repetition and trial
and error. You screw up, you
restart the game, and you
dont screw up again. The
reason why this is devised this
way is because during your
characters personalization
phase, the gear and the way
you level up abilities matter

in the results of each level.
Indeed, there is a great deal of
skill needed when in-mission,
but some missions will become
unplayable if youve chosen the
wrong path. Anyway, what Im
saying is that these games focus
on the mastery of engaging
and challenging mechanics,
as well as testing yourself.
Now, from all extrinsic
motivators that you can come
up with, the ones keeping you

playing for months are those
that are purely intrinsic for
you. If we adventure into the
domain of psychology a bit
deeper, we find that individuals
find no interest over certain
things, and trying to catch their
attention with these is useless.
Steam achievements? Not for
me, thanks. Some other things,
however, extrinsic motivators,
will be effective only for a
certain period of time. Im more
than willing to spend some
time unlocking new characters,
but they better be different
and worth it. Lastly, there
are those motivators that are
truly intrinsic, those that really
pique your interest consistently
and that keep you engaged
for hours. This, for me, is the
narrative content. Sadly, once
a story reveals itself as shallow
and worth only one run-through
27 GameOn Magazine
Articles

(ahem, Invisible Inc.), theres
not much to do other than
moving on to the next game.
I never played Skyrim as a
personal quest to level up my
character, like some of my
friends. Check out my level
60 argonian, man!. Meh, dont
care. I never looked at how
many Xbox achievements I
had. I didnt mind being in the
first prestige of Call of Duty, or
having less badges to show, as
long as I had enough weapons
to keep playing. Im not a
social gamer, so my rewards
must be enjoyable on my own,
savoured in the solitude of my
dark gaming room. And this
comes as quite the revelation
for me, as I know that I can
appreciate roguelikes, but I
dont have to sink as many

hours as the internet world
claims to have done. Such a
relief! The rewards each person
gets and appreciates from each
game are different for each
person. You dont have to care
for my story and characters,
and I for your achievements.
Gamification seems like quite
an artificial term, manipulating
players into spending tons of
money and hours in front of
the screen. However, it is not.
Gamification can be simply
summed up by asking yourself
why do I play this game?, or
why dont I play this game?. It
helps us understand what kind
of gamer we are, and this can
potentially be translated into
understanding what kind of
person we are. What keeps us

motivated playing games can
be used for our own advantage;
we must know what games to
seek or where our weaknesses
as a part of the audience are.
They give us a bit of insight
regarding our own subjectivity,
which is worth exploring
by ourselves. And I do love
roguelikes, dont get me wrong.
Its just that, because of their
nature, they dont compel me
into spending a gazillion hours
in them, but only a few. And you
know what? I dont care what
Yahtzee says, FTL bored me
after I unlocked the third ship.
Forcing gamification? Well,
thats a different story.
28 GameOn Magazine
Articles
29 GameOn Magazine
Articles
Improving Your Game of Rocket League - Part #1

After many hours on Rocket League, James comes to give us tips.
By James Bralant
ocket League is taking the

gaming world by storm.
Free on PlayStation Plus in
July, just 14.99/$19.99 on PC,
with fast-paced and addictive
multiplayer, easy to play
and hard to master controls,
shareable and competitive
gameplay - its a dangerous
concoction of gaming bliss.
When you start to find yourself

rising the ranks online, only to
be getting stuck in a rut of losses
despite you believing you arent
doing much wrong, you need
to start asking some questions.
These questions:
What could happen

if I clear the ball
from my position?
Clearing the ball is a vital part
of defending in Rocket League.
Doing it well, on the other
hand, is a skill that requires
practice and good judgement.
30 GameOn Magazine
Articles

boost speed, if you continue
to hold down the respective
accelerate or reverse buttons.
This is especially effective
if your back is to your goal,
and theres a high chance of
a counter when you are high
up the pitch with no boost.
Boosting is effective for a
lot of reasons but most of
the time, when you want
to cover long distances in a
short amount of time, flipping
is the best way to go.
Boost when you want to change
speed quickly, make a minor
speed adjustment as well
as demolishing or knocking
away an enemy, otherwise,
flip like theres no tomorrow.
Wondering what your opponent

is doing, waiting in the middle
of the arena, whilst you sort
yourself out for a clearance?
Then you need to be cautious
of where you are clearing
the ball. If you have the time,
assess where your opponent
is and make it difficult for
them to score, whilst getting
the ball away from your goal,
or into a position where you
can make a more effective
clearance. Remember that
sometimes, playing the ball

TOWARDS your goal can be
the best option, as it wrong
foots your enemy, and in some
instances, pings the ball back
towards your scoring target.
Should I boost or flip

in this situation?
Amateur players may not
know that flipping 3 times in a
row, backwards or forwards,
actually brings you up to full-
Do I have time
to rethink or
rework my shot?
Taking your time in key
situations such as goal line
clearances and absolute
sitters by the opponents
goals are the best thing you
can do, because you dont
want to mess those up.
You will look like a right
simpleton if you go crazy
fast towards an open goal,
31 GameOn Magazine
Articles
32 GameOn Magazine
Articles

as the ball trickles into your
field of view, just to whiff
into the back of the net.
Take, your, time. Assess your
surroundings as you normally
would and keep calm. The
same goes for defending. If
you have the time, maneuver
into the right position, and
then make the clearance,
dont just go crazy - you may
make a mistake and cause
an embarrassing own goal.
Where is the ball

likely to land next?
Reading the play is one of the
most fundamental things you
can do to secure victories. Its
all well and good going hells
bells towards where the ball is
currently, but you will lose more
games in the long run. Rocket
League is a physics game - work
out the natural ball movement,
see where its likely to land and
plan accordingly. Its incredible
how many people whiff past
the ball from miss-timed jumps,
even Pro players in Ranked
Mode, simply because they
are badly reading the play.
can decide whether there is

a chance for you opening up,
or it is best to sit back and see
where the unpredictability of
corner hits directs the ball.
Which one of us is
closest to the goal?
From the kick-off, you have to
be sharp to whats happening.
Solo duel is slightly different,
but when there is 2, 3 or 4
of you, then work out which
one of you is closest to the
boost from the kick-off and
from there, use the quick
commands to signal your intent.
Defending..., Ill take this,
Take the shot - any of them will
really help out in this situation,
to avoid a simple tap in.
Simply put, if you are closest
to the goal, stay there, theres
rarely any point in you storming

out, as its unlikely you will
get the first touch. If you stay
in goal and let your closer
team-mate go for the hit, you
can avoid conceding those
annoying kick-off strikes.
You have just gained an unfair
advantage by reading these
questions. If everyone did the
same, Rocket League would be
highly competitive even at the
low ranks, but the fact is, even
some of the higher ranking
players are falling short with
some of these mistakes.
Even if just one of these
questions has made an impact
on you, leave a comment
below telling us which one.
Got any suggestions for
follow-up questions? Wed
love to hear them, too.
This is especially effective

when working out how the ball
bounces off walls and when
its rolling around corners; you
33 GameOn Magazine
Previews
The Crew: Wild Run gamescom
The Crew: Wild Run gamescom Preview

Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ivory Tower
Genre: Racing
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360
Release Dates
17th November 2015 (Worldwide)
By Ryan Davies
ts fair to say that opinions

on The Crew, Ubisofts
most recent delve into the
racing market, are pretty well
split. Some didnt enjoy the
games online-focused world or
arcadey handling model, while
others found the huge openworld map of the US to be a
breath of fresh air in a game
that was happy to just let the
player have fun. I count myself
among the former, perhaps
purely because it was the only
game Id ever played that didnt
ask me to race on the same
track twice. I still dont think
that fact can be exaggerated.
The brilliant mini version
of the US certainly helped,
and gameplay that perfectly
suited the overall style of the
34 GameOn Magazine
Previews
game. Whats more, the online

nonsense never really bothered
me as a solo player because it
was easy enough to ignore.
So its fair to say that I was
happy to see Ubisoft continue to
support The Crew post-launch,
as Ivory Tower is soon set to
release Wild Run - the games
first major expansion. Rather
than tacking on a new area to
explore (um, Alaska? Hawaii?),
the additions are focused on
injecting new content into the
already impressive game world.
First up is a graphical overhaul
that looks to remove the
rather washed effect that the
release game featured. Much
more colourful scenery and
stimulating lighting effects will
accompany Wild Run, as well
as an improved draw distance.
Saying that, the buildings in the
distance of the demo I played

were still rather ugly. Oh, and
if youre wondering if it seems
a little silly to sell graphical
improvements within DLC
then youre not the only one.
Dynamic weather is the next
addition that could happily sit
under the probably should
have been in the release game
category. Saying that, the
combination of the improved
visuals and pretty rain effects is
a sight to be seen. The demo I
played wasnt on an especially
flashy display (although it was
running on PC), yet it looked
somewhat unrecognisable
from the game that released
back in December. The fact
that the changing weather
actually affects the way your
car handles is a sweet part
of the deal, turning a feature
that could have been a little

flippant into an interesting
layer of the game at large.
Most of the other additions to
the game are the things youve
probably already gathered
from flashy trailers and the
like. Motorbikes are a welcome
addition, although they handle
like theyre permanently on ice;
certainly vehicles for the more
experienced players - who, I
assume, will be the majority
of people that buy this DLC.
Undoubtedly more interesting
are the monster trucks and
associated events. Strangely, the
trucks also handle a little like
theyre on ice, lacking the weight
I expected them to bring to the
fore. I suppose its certainly
more fun to fling a weirdly
light monster truck around
obstacle courses. The new game
35 GameOn Magazine
Previews

mode sees players completing
stunts and running through
scattered point-markers. Its
functional, but theres bound
to be more fun had in just
cruising around the world map
in a huge monster truck.
Drag and drift racing are the
next two key additions, although
anyone whos played a racing
gaming within the past ten
years will find these modes
instantly familiar. Drift mode
is exactly the same as every
other mode in every other game
despite apparently being the
most requested feature from
the community, but the drag
mode rekindles more pleasant
memories of the old quarter
mile modes from past Need for
Speed games. Players have to

heat their tyres before setting
off, then nail the forced manual
gear changes in an effort to
gain the quickest speed down
a simple straight line. I played
this mode on the Bonneville
salt flats that were tragically
ignored in the release game,
so that was a fun experience.
Its difficult to see how well
these events will fit into the
game; my slight concern is
that people who have already
played most of the events from
the base game will be stuck
playing drift, drag and monster
truck events over and over until
theyre all complete. To me,
that doesnt sound especially
fun. Those who purchase the
Wild Run addition of the full

game, which is being released
alongside the standard DLC,
certainly get the best deal
as they can enjoy all of this
content together. Wait though!
Whats that... there is actually
another part of the DLC... one
that Ubisoft has been weirdly
quiet about? It has some catchy
name that Ive forgotten, but
the idea is excellent - players
who buy Wild Run will be able
to create their own tracks for
crew members to play! You just
select waypoints on the map
and away you go. If you ask me,
this could be the best part of the
whole DLC; even more tracks!
The Crew: Wild Run looks to be
a fairly generous DLC pack. Ive
got my reservations concerning
some of the new game modes
and other additions, but it looks
as though therell be plenty for
veteran players to get stuck
into. Plus, it could be a great
reason to get the crew back
together for a few more races.
Colour me interested, but it
remains to be seen if this rather
random selection of additions
will gel well enough to create
an expansion that will actually
get players back into The Crew
come the 17th of November.
36 GameOn Magazine
Previews
37 GameOn Magazine
Previews
Armikrog gamescom
Armikrog gamescom Preview

Publisher: Versus Evil
Developer: Pencil Test Studios
Genre: Point n Click
Platform: PC
Release Dates
8th September 2015 (Worldwide)
By Luke Greenfield
hen it comes to
bringing something
new to the table,
the team behind Armikrog
certainly have that in mind
with this innovative Point
& Click adventure game.
In Armikrog, you play as a
spaceman and his pet, a blind
Alien-Dog. Upon crash-landing
on an unknown planet and
being boxed into a tower by a
vicious creature, your goal is
to find a way out of a tower.
But as you progress through
the game, it becomes clear
that a lot more is at stake.
Whats so unique about
the game isnt the story or
gameplay itself, its the artIssue 72 October 2015
38 GameOn Magazine
Previews
Armikrog gamescom
style and the way the game

is captured; everything in the
game, from the environments
to backgrounds and even
the characters and their
movements, is captured in Clay
Stop-Animation. Its not clunky
by any means, and can be
easily passed off for being CGI.
The other, very impressive
note is that the entire game
is made by two people. The
stop-animation is filmed in
a garage and rendered in an
office that is smaller than the
stand in which the game was
presented inside. The fact that
such a complex process is done
in such a small place by only
two people is quite astounding,
especially seeing the quality
of the game at the moment.
The game revolves entirely
around puzzles, that must be
solved using both characters
in order to progress. The
game doesnt hand-hold, but
it does give occasional hints
should the player become

completely stumped.
The humour is very childish,
described as toilet humour
by the presenter. This simple
humour makes the game
appropriate and appeals to both
younger and older players.
Armikrog is scheduled for
release on the 18th of August,
and it looks just about ready
to be a good way to spend
your week; you wont be able
to finish this game in a day.
39 GameOn Magazine
Previews
Master of Orion gamescom
Master of Orion gamescom Preview

Release Dates
Publisher: Wargaming
Developer: NGD Studios, Wargaming
Genre: Strategy
Platform: PC
Out Now - Steam Early Access
By Ryan Davies
he story behind the

inception of Wargaming.
nets revival of classic
4X strategy title Master of
Orion is an unusual one. The
World of Tanks creators CEO,
Victor Kislyi, has always been
an intriguing character largely
due to his personable attitude
towards public relations
and his clear devotion to
the Wargaming.net brand.
This Master of Orion
reboot exists purely
because of his own
gaming fantasies.
Wargamings Frazer
Nash explains how
this new title came
to be: Atari (who
owned the licence
beforehand) ended up
40 GameOn Magazine
Previews

needing to have a fire-sale. So
when they did that, Victor flew
to Los Angeles about as fast as
he could and put in the biggest
bid he possibly could to win
this IP, because he loves it; its
a passion project for Victor.
If thats not a golden stamp
of dedication to a title then I
dont know what is. So now
with the rather hefty backing of
Wargaming.net, Master of Orion
is soon to be back in action in
a reboot that will be very much
in keeping to the style and
feel of the original title from
1993. Saying that, there are
sure to be plenty of folks who
arent sure what that actually
means. The original Master of
Orion was a very early 4X space

strategy game (in fact, 4X as
a term was coined in relation
to the game) that many at the
time likened to Civilization in
space. Considering that series
continued domination of the
strategy scene, the reference
still holds strong, although with
games like Galactic Civilizations
now knocking about its

certainly a more contested
market to break back into.
Rather than any of the World
of... teams, Master of Orion
is being developed by the
Argentinian studio NGD - a
relatively unheard of team that
has previously only dabbled
41 GameOn Magazine
Previews

in a free-to-play MMO and a
couple of licensed titles like
an Adventure Time action
adventure game. It certainly
seems like an odd choice,
but then Wargaming has
been keen to emphasise that
NGD has been bolstered by
various pivotal members of
the original Master of Orion
development team. The idea
behind that move is to capture
the essence of the original and
other marketing slogans that
essentially mean Wargaming is
aiming to appeal to the same
players who loved the game
back in the 90s. Although Nash
also emphasised that they are
also targeting the wider 4X
strategy crowd that enjoy the
aforementioned strategy titles.
The actual gameplay in Master
of Orion is very familiar stuff;
certainly a deliberate move
on the part of NGD. You begin
a game as one of the 10 alien
races with one lonely planet,
from there you must grow
your empire across the stars
either through diplomacy or
military aggression; the four
Xs in 4X all taking a leading
role (thats eXplore, eXpand,
eXploit, and eXterminate). The
gameplay shown at this years
gamescom demonstrated a
42 GameOn Magazine
Previews
tidy UI built around a goodlooking game that should

satisfy most strategy gamers
need for endless information.
Diplomacy looks to be the
best feature so far; with some
options that arent your typical
strategy fare like baiting other
nations to declare war on one
another. Seeing the diplomatic
view actually reminded me
a little more of a Paradox
grand strategy title rather than
something like Civ - that, by
the way, is a very good thing.
The diplomacy comes in
alongside other classic strategy
fare like an extensive tech
tree, buildings that can be
constructed on planets and of

course military production and
warfare. Based on whats been
shown so far, theres nothing
especially original about Master
of Orion, but thats perfectly
OK. Considering Wargaming.
net is aiming for those already
familiar with the series (or
stuff like it), then all NGD need
to do is provide a fun and
engaging 4X title that fans of
the genre can easily sink into.
The hardest part, in reality, will
be getting the word out - but
with Wargamings incredibly
deep pockets, that may not
be much of an issue after all.
Nash explained that the game
will be highly accessible for
new players, but Im not sure

if that will even be necessary.
Master of Orion will release as
a digital download on Steam
and GOG some time in the
future. Its worth mentioning
that the game wont follow
the same F2P model as other
Wargaming.net titles, but
rather a standard pay once
release. Theres certainly a risk
of Master of Orion blending in
amongst the raft of space titles
releasing in the near future,
but for fans of the original
games, and fans of space 4X at
large, it looks to be an excellent
modern revitalisation.
43 GameOn Magazine
Previews
Four Huge Improvements in PES 2016

Publisher: Konami
Developer: PES Productions
Genre: Sports
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360
ES was well received by the

industry as a whole last
year, lauded for its huge
advancements and innovations.
For me though, despite being
a solid football game, it still
fell short in several ways. This

year, things look to be taking
another huge step forward,
and following a presentation
and hands-on with Konami
at gamescom, heres why.
Release Dates
Out Now
By Dom DAngelillo
Graphics
If you read my review last year,
youll note I said that PES was
beautiful in some ways, but
in others it looked dated and
44 GameOn Magazine
Previews

unfinished. This time around
it looks as though those woes
may be a thing of the past..
Despite any issues surrounding
the relationship between
Konami and Kojima, I was
assured that the Fox engine
was here to stay, and that can
only be a good thing. Once
again, Konami have used 3D
scanning for a number of the
high profile players including:
Brazils Neymar and Juventus
lvaro Morata - both of whom
feature on the cover. The leap
in graphical prowess though
comes from
those players
that werent
3D scanned.
Last year, I
complained
about some less
than impressive recreations
of players, but with the help
of the Fox engine and images
provided by clubs, Konami have
been able to closely design a
huge number of players to an
amazingly high standard. Over
2000 players will be done to
this standard on release,
but more will be released
further down the line.
Its not just the
players themselves
that have had a makeover

though; everything from the
grass, the camera angle, the
crowd, the emotions, have
all been improved to a much
higher standard as well as
the introduction of dynamic
weather. The result is arguably
the best looking and most
realistic football game to date.
Licenses
PES has always lived in the
shadows of its EA sports
compatriot when it comes
to the licenses and player
likenesses. While Konami are
still lacking the holy grail that
is the Premier League, (with
the exception of Manchester
United, whose official kit,
sponsors and team all return
this year), they are focussing
on those licenses which FIFA
dont have. The big news at
gamescom was that Konami
has secured the rights to the
European Championships
and this years PES will
feature the full 2016
Euros as well as
official national
teams. On top
of this, Konami
will now feature
more teams from the
Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie
A, as well as the returning
Champions League, complete
with music and branding.
Konami has also secured the
top continental competitions
for another season, with
the Copa Libertadores,
Copa Sudamericana and
Asian Champions League
all returning.
45 GameOn Magazine
Previews
Whilst they may not be the

huge and instantly recognisable
brands you would associate
with football, it is not at the
fault of Konami, but rather
the bureaucratic world of
football. Konami are evolving
PES into its very own thing
rather than following the crowd,
and through their limitations,
they are becoming something
equally as interesting.
Celebrations
We all have a favourite. The
one that you watch on repeat
on YouTube hundreds of times.
Of course, Im talking about
goals, but this year sees PES
introduce tonnes of celebration
animations including those
iconic ones that have been
synonymous with your favourite
(or least favourite) players.

The game doesnt just stop
after scoring, now you take
control and replicate some
of the sports best and worst
recognisable celebrations.
Everything from Gareth Bales
love heart, Luis Suarezs dueling
pistols or even Francesco Tottis
crowd selfie will be included
in the game. And what with
the improved graphics, this
46 GameOn Magazine
Previews

makes Pro Evolution Soccer
2016 even closer to the real
90 minutes of a football
match than ever before.
Moment-to-moment
gameplay tweaks
Everything, as you would expect
from an annualised franchise,
has received a metaphorical
lick of fresh paint, with a few
new tricks introduced. Aside
from 1-on-1 feints used to deter
an oncoming defender, PES
improves the general physics
of each player, making 1-on-1
tackles much more realistic.
Big players can barge smaller
players off the ball and onto
the ground, if your shorter
player goes against a six-footeight beefcake for a header, the
outcome will be very one-sided.

There is weight behind every
player and you can feel it with
every step and kick of the ball.
Aside from the controlled
players, there have also been
improvements made to the AI.
Your AI controlled teammates
now work together in teams
of 2-3, making their existence
on the pitch more important
than ever. Defenders will
cover optimistic teammates
who fancy a dribble, midfield
generals look to poach the ball
from the attacking team, and
attackers scream for the ball.
There are also three times as
many animations in this years
iteration; everything from joy
to elation. Players will contend
peculiar decisions, throw their

arms in the air at a missed
opportunity or jossle with
opponents for the referees
attention. It all feels like a huge
leap forward from last years
version and is a promising sign
for the future of the series.
It all seems like a promising step
in the right direction for Konami
and PES, and with the demo
now available, you can try out
the new improvements yourself.
It doesnt stop there though,
as this is the 20th Anniversary
of Pro Evolution Soccer, they
have so much more to do.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 will
be released 18th September
on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3,
Xbox One Xbox 360 and PC.
47 GameOn Magazine
Previews
Mighty No. 9 gamescom
Mighty No. 9 gamescom Preview

Publisher: Deep Silver, Spike Chunsoft
Developer: Comcept, Inti Creates
Genre: Action, platform
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, 3DS, PS Vita
ighty No. 9, has been

highly anticipated
for a long time now.
The game, made by Mega
Man creator Keiji Inafune
and his team at Comcept
bears a resemblance to retro
action-platformers. Fans are

understandably eager to play
this instalment by the legendary
game designer and news of its
delay is surely a harsh blow to
those waiting. With a release
date set for Q1 next year,
Release Dates
Q1 2016
By Reece Armstrong
Mighty No. 9 is frustratingly

close to being a reality for
fans. From what I saw of the
game at this years gamescom
it is going to be a well crafted,
charming title that should
appeal to fans of the genre.
I got to see a number of levels
that demonstrated simple
yet hard to master gameplay
mechanics. You play as Beck,
a robot who has the ability to
transform and absorb Xel, the
particles that make up robots.
The visuals are vibrant and
colourful and give charm and
personality to the game. The
entire aesthetic has an air of
childlike wonder to it and its
no surprise that the game is
being made into an animated
48 GameOn Magazine
Previews
TV series. The pleasant visuals

contrast massively to the
gameplay though, which is
tough and demanding.
Mighty No. 9s gameplay
consists of a mix of run and
gunning and platforming.
Reminiscent to Mega Man, Beck
is equipped with an arm cannon
to defeat enemies. Whilst you
can use this weapon to get you
through the levels, you will want
to be using Becks other ability,
dashing, to net you the most
points. Dashing is like it sounds,
Beck dashes forwards propelling
him at a speed much faster than
running. You can clear gaps and
even use dash multiple times
to extend your time spent in
the air. Its used to get under

small gaps and upon seeing
gameplay of Mighty No. 9 it
became clear that this mechanic
lies at the heart of the game.
Dashing is not only a useful

platforming tool, but also a
combative one as well. Dashing
allows Beck to absorb the Xels
of other robots, but this can
only be done when enough
49 GameOn Magazine
Previews

damage has been dealt to them.
This sounds easy in theory
but the real test comes from
acquiring the highest possible
points by absorbing enemies
when they begin to glow. Its
made harder by having to know
how many shots it takes for
enemies to become absorbed.
The game becomes a rhythmic
twitch based puzzle where
reflexes are key if you want to
gain the most points. Earning
a string of combos isnt easy
and youll want to time your
dashes perfectly to gain 100%
absorption from enemies.
used to defeat them at the end

of their health. Missing the dash
is a crucial mistake that allows
the boss to regain some of their
health. Transformations are a
key part of boss fights as well.
During the game Beck learns
other robot powers and can
use these to his benefit. The
boss fight I saw was Battalion,
a militarised robot mounted
with a gatling gun and a missile
launcher. Whilst possible to
defeat without transforming,
the boss was susceptible to
freeze attacks from one of
Becks transformations.
The dash mechanic extends into

bosses as well where it can be
What Ive seen of Mighty No.

9 has got me excited for its
release. The accessible core

gameplay makes it easy to
play but difficult to master.
Perfectionists are going to
have a tough time getting
100% combo ratings as quick
reflexes and flawless runs will
be required. The incentive
for replaying levels is high
with different awards handed
out for completing stages in
certain ways. Co-op modes,
challenge stages and a back-toback boss mode make Mighty
No. 9 a complete package.
Mighty No. 9 is set for a
2016 release for PS4, Xbox
One, PC, Mac, Linux, Wii
U, 3DS and PS Vita.
50 GameOn Magazine
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51 GameOn Magazine
Previews
WWE 2K16 gamescom
WWE 2K16 gamescom Preview

Release Dates
Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: 2K Sports
Genre: Sports
Platform: PS4, Xbox One
ubtlety isnt something

that you would necessarily
associate with the world
of WWE and wrestling, yet the
opening video during the WWE
27th October 2015 (NA)

29th October2015 (EU)
By Dom DAngelillo
2K16 presentation at gamescom

was certainly along those lines.
A barren, scorched desert lay
untouched. A single figure,
walking away from the camera,
shovel in hand, suddenly stops

and begins to dig. Was this
some deep metaphor or poetic
justice? Certainly not, it was
legendary wrestler Stone Cold
52 GameOn Magazine
Previews
WWE 2K16 gamescom

Steve Austin, who stars on the
cover of this years edition,
digging up the Smoking Skull
Belt he won back in 1998.
Picking it up, he turns around
and walks towards camera:
its time to raise some hell, he
mutters. Wrestling normality
is restored once again, and its
back to the carnage and theatre
inside and out of the ring...
That Roster
Though...
...And its the atmosphere and
theatre of a wrestling event that
2K are focusing heavily on this
year. After all, as Bryce Yang,
brand director, told the group,
in a way, what happens outside
the ring is more important
than what happens in it.
While hes certainly not doing
any disservice to the fighting
that goes on within the ring,
hes referring to the carnival
atmosphere, the personalities
and crowd interactions, all
of which make wrestling and
wrestlers unique. This has
been such an important part
of this years game in fact, that
after conducting research,
they discovered fans wanted
more playable characters,
giving them a greater number
of iconic names. The result is
almost double of last years

67 name roster, with 120
unique characters available
from the beginning.
I asked 2K to clarify what they
meant by unique characters
and they referred me back
to their earlier statement.
Watching Irishman Finn Blors
entrance, complete with rock
music, timed lights, and pure
drama, his personality shone
through, Im not really brushed
up on my WWE knowledge,
but instantly I could see his
demeanor, his attitude and
style. The lighting, the LEDs,
the ramp, the video, the
timing, the colour. Theres so

much that goes into every
one of those characters, and
weve [got]120 of them.Thats
what they mean by unique!
Its not just unique in the sense
of appearance and fighting style,
but everything you associate
with wrestling. Regardless of
whoever you adore or loathe,
enjoy watching or desperately
avoid, they all have unique
entrances and youll be able
to instantly recognise them.
It wont just be the fighters
themselves that youll recognise,
too. When push comes to shove
53 GameOn Magazine
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WWE 2K16 gamescom
within the ring, the fully mocapped move sets will allow
those trademark throws, pins
and specials to add to the
unique character experience.
On top of this, WWE 2K16
adds in over 2,000 brand new
animations, including moves,
reversals and emotions, all
which aim to fully immerse
the player amongst the more
diverse and realistic crowd.
Customise
and Create
Of course, WWE 2K16 doesnt
just stop there, and being
the second year developing
with a new engine, the team
are constantly building and
improving on the previous

years iteration, its just like the
last 15 years Bryce told me,
theres always things theyd
like to add and sometimes
you just cant. In this instance
though, it seems those going
into WWE 2K16 are going to
be spoilt for choice based
on the options given.
If its part of the WWE world,
chances are theres something
customisable for you. We were
told that this was a fan favourite
part of the game; being able
to stamp your own, personal
look on it. With that in mind,
WWE 2K16 offers customisable:
shows, belts, rings and, for the
first time, you can create your
own Diva in a mode that will

likely go head-to-head with the
Superstar Creator which returns
once again. Of course, like last
year, you can scan your own
face into the character creator
in order to get your Superstar as
close to real thing as possible.
...Now With Playable

Former Governor
of California
Speaking of face scanning, all
of the 120 playable characters
have had their likeness
scanned in and used within the
game, so whether you fancy
playing as Seth Rollins, Kane,
Triple-H, Colonel Mustafa or
any of the other wrestlers,
54 GameOn Magazine
Previews
WWE 2K16 gamescom

every emotion, glance and
snarl will be caught directly
from the person themselves.
This even stretches out of the
wrestling universe and into the
crossover, by which I mean
Arnold Schwarzeneggers
induction into the roster as two
versions of the iconic T-800.
Arnold, according to Bryce,
had been great as part of
the project. Not only was he
willing to get his face scanned
like the rest of the roster, but
he has been a huge part of the
marketing campaign, starring in
an advert and being very active
on social media promoting
the game itself. Of course, The
Terminator is currently only
available as part of a pre-order
bonus, but the comments
from Bryce suggest that he
will later be available as part
of standalone DLC. Without
definitively saying yes or no, I
was told with regards to The
Terminator being available
to those that didnt preorder
that if you look around and
see similar offers around the
industry you can probably find
the answer pretty easily.
be featured. Again, feedback

from fans found that packs
with characters and storylines
were preferred by the masses;
after all, wrestling fans love a
good storyline. Although there
were no solid dates for DLC,
its a safe bet it will be drip
fed for a long time, adding to
the WWE 2K16 experience.
If you love wrestling youre
going to be completely
enamoured by what 2K are
offering in this years edition of
the game. Its bigger, better and
more beautiful than last years,
and every tidbit of information
released pulls you in just that
bit more. WWE 2K16 has the
perfect combination of old

school classic fighters and the
new, up and coming generation,
so which ever side your bread
is buttered, the 120 playable
characters will more than
quench your thirst to wrestle.
With 2,000 new animations,
brand new customisable game
modes and the classic Hall
of Fame career mode, when
October comes around itll be
time to raise some hell.
WWE 2K16 will be released
on 27th October in North
America and 29th October
in Europe on PS3, PS4, Xbox
360 and Xbox One.
Other packs of DLC, similar to

the those that went into last
years iteration will also likely
55 GameOn Magazine
Previews
Back To Dinosaur Island 2 gamescom
Back To Dinosaur Island 2 gamescom Preview

Release Dates
Publisher: Crytek
Developer: Crytek
Genre: Action
Platform: PC
irtual Reality had a

big showing at this
years gamescom, with
developers demonstrating
demos on Oculus Rift, Project
Morpheus and more. I had a
chance to sit down with Crytek
TBA
By Reece Armstrong
and experience their VR tech

demo, Back To Dinosaur Island
2. My experiences with VR
before this had ranged from
good to nauseating so I didnt
know what to expect from
this demo. I had an inkling
it would be immersive and

picturesque as it was being
made by Crytek but I wasnt
prepared for what I saw.
The title, Back To Dinosaur
Island 2 should give a clear idea
of the demos setting. I was
using the Oculus Rift Crescent
Bay and whilst the build quality
wasnt at retail standard, I was
told the image quality was.
Sitting down in a swivel chair
I was able to rotate my body
to take in the scenery without
having to stretch my neck. This
helped avoid any awkward body
motions, that being a particular
problem that has occurred in
the past with other VR demos.
I was given an Xbox 360
controller and was told to only
56 GameOn Magazine
Previews
use the left and right trigger

buttons which controlled my
hands. I was tasked with scaling
a mountain using a system of
cables to hang onto. Before
starting I was warned not to
let go of the triggers, as falling
was not a nice experience.
Beginning the demo I was
instantly placed in front of
one of the cables suspended
in mid-air near the bottom of
the mountain. The visuals were
a pleasant mix of lush greens
from vegetation and red and
browns off of the mountain
wall. The setting had a real
sense atmosphere, a river ran
in the background, flowing with
white wash that cascaded vividly
down the rocks on the riverbed.
57 GameOn Magazine
Previews

A crashed spaceship rested
in the distance and a strange
alien-like structure was also
positioned in the landscape. I
was immersed and the demo
had yet to truly begin. To climb
the mountain I had to use the
cables provided, grabbing onto
the connected bar with both
hands. The simple concept was
made enjoyable as my view
required me to lean in to reach
the bars. If I was too far away
I would have to lean closer.
It was a novel use of VR that
engaged my field of view and
the surrounding environment.
Further up the mountain I had
to switch cables which required
me to let go with one hand
and then find the next handle.

At first this was fine as the
handles were close together,
but as I scaled higher, certain
handles became harder to
reach. Vertigo kicked in and
a sense of dread came over
me at the idea of falling. I
knew it was a mind-game but
the setting and height of the
mountain made it feel very real.
As I got higher I saw movement
on the mountain wall and
pterodactyls dropped into
the sky, swooping within
the clouds. Certain
ones attacked me
as I climbed and I
had to attempt to
dodge them. At
another point rocks tumbled

from above, making me
stop climbing to avoid them.
Eventually I reached the summit
and clambered over the edge.
When before I had been too
preoccupied with climbing
and avoiding the dangerous
pterodactyls, now I could
bask in the scene before me.
I turned around first, to see
where I had climbed from, and
saw the dizzying height of the
mountainside and the gorgeous
58 GameOn Magazine
Previews
view that ran far off into the

distance. The river was below,
a waterfall ran parallel down
one side of another cliff face,
it was stunning to behold.
Behind me was a vast canyon
which was littered with what
looked like a crashed alien
spaceship which could very
well be my own. My last task
was to scan points of interest.
Small beacons appeared on the
screen and I had to look directly
at them and hold the triggers
to complete the scan. The scan
would detail facts about the
points of interest and a robotic
voice would tell me when the
scan was finished. It was the
least engaging part of the
demo but seeing a wide field
view of the alien planet was
astounding. After I finished all

the scans the demo ended and
I was brought back into reality.
The Back To Dinosaur Island 2
demo made me a firm believer
in Virtual Reality. Theres great
potential for an immersive
setting and story and the demo
showed me that Crytek are on
the right path to this. Speaking
to Crytek after the demo I was
told that it was part of a large
project their working on called
Robinson: The Journey. I wasnt
told much but the premise is
that you play as a 12 year old
boy who has crash-landed on
an alien planet. I asked about
the limitations that Virtual
Reality has on gameplay and
they understood my concern.
I was told there would be 7
methods of traversal during

the game and considering how
engaging the climb had been, I
am definitely eager to see more.
Robinson: The Journey proved
to me that Virtual Reality is a
very plausible gaming tool.
Crytek understand this and
see it as a home product, to be
used by gamers everywhere.
One noteworthy point is that
during no time in the demo did
I feel nauseous. The experience
was smooth and comfortable,
merging the right amount of joy
and fearful sensations, resulting
in an exhilarating ride. Virtual
Reality is something to be aware
of, now more than ever and
Crytek may just be the biggest
contender coming with it.
59 GameOn Magazine
Previews
Five Changes Coming to FIFA 16

Publisher: EA Sports
Developer: EA Canada
Genre: Sports
Platform: PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Android, iOS
e got a chance to
play Fifa 16 behind
closed doors at
this years gamescom. Aside
from the improved graphics,
updated teams and UI tweaks,
here are five of the biggest
changes that you can expect

to see later this year.
Womens Teams
Perhaps the biggest and most
poignant change to Fifa 16
Release Dates
22nd September 2015 (Worldwide)
By Dom DAngelillo
this year is the introduction

of the Womens international
teams. 2015 has been a huge
year for the womens game,
with both the World Cup and
FA Cup Final being televised
in front of huge audiences.
60 GameOn Magazine
Previews

Through the introduction of
womens international teams
comes the chance for a whole
new fan-base to take to the
FIFA platform and play as their
newly found heroes. While
they move and play just like
their male counterparts - their
performances captured in
typical FIFA style - the devs at EA
told me that the most difficult
part was adding the physics of
ponytails and they look great!
More Balanced AI
When an improvement is
something vague like this its
often hard to tell if you can
feel the change or if its just
you unknowingly accepting
61 GameOn Magazine
Previews

the PR talk. In fact, while
playing Fifa 16, you can feel
that your team is more of a
team. They work harder, move
more and generally arent
a nuisance like they can be.
Defenders are much sharper,
if youve tracked a player and
left a gap, the closest AI team-
mate will step up and cover

for you. Midfielders are now
wiser and read the game
more, intercepting passes or
slowing down counter attacks;
and forwards are incredibly
dynamic, making off-ball runs
into space and demanding the
ball. Everything adds to the
on pitch experience and make
the team feel more unified.
Trainer Mode
If youre not accustomed with
the complex controls of the
FIFA series, then this year EA
have introduced a brand new
in-game mode. Easily turned
on or off within the pause
menu, the trainer mode is an

on-screen prompt which will
surround the player-controlled
character. Simple things like
prompts to pass or tackle start
you off, but as you become
more familiar, the trainer
introduces more complex
commands, like low crosses,
through balls or stepovers.
Whatever your skill level, youre
certain to learn something
you perhaps wouldnt have
known without this mode.
Draft Mode
A new feature in FIFAs iconic
Ultimate Team mode allows
for a smaller, more concise
62 GameOn Magazine
Previews
Ultimate Team experience.

Testing your 1-11 team building
skills, you have to pick a
formation, captain, manager
and starting 11 from the five
options given to you. Then,
online or in single player you
play four matches and earn
rewards (coins and/or FIFA
points) for each one; with
these you then edit your team
as appropriate for the best
possible team chemistry and
repeat the cycle. Its a quick
and fun way to familiarise

yourself with the Ultimate
Teams mode without the
headache of contracts and
training, and allows you to play
with some of the best players
in the world from the get go.
Pass With Purpose

Of all the new features, this
is perhaps one that has the
most resonance with hardcore
fans of the series. When it
came to passing you had two

options, a simple ground
pass or a through ball. The
pass with purpose option is
something of a combination
of the two. Pressing the R2/
RT button while passing
will initiate a quicker, more
accurate ground pass, allowing
for quick counter attacks or
defensive clearances without
the fear of losing possession.
63 GameOn Magazine
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Typoman Updated gamescom
Typoman Updated gamescom Preview

Release Dates
Publisher: Headup Games

Developer: Brainseed
Genre: Puzzle
Platform: Wii U
ypoman was a surprise hit

at last years gamescom,
and by far one of my
personal favourite games of
the convention. Its a basic
platformer in most ways, but
the ingenious use of words to
2016
By Ryan Davies
form puzzles and scenery is

something completely unique.
Its well worth checking out my
initial preview of the game to
get a general idea for the game.
For this preview, however, weve
got more of a check-in to see
how Typoman is coming along.

The short version: very nicely.
One big piece of news aside,
the game is clearly in very good
shape, and after another small
gameplay session at this years
gamescom Im happy to report
64 GameOn Magazine
Previews

that this should be every bit
the revolutionary platformer
I was hoping it would be.
That big piece of news,
however, could cause some
problems. I was surprised to
be handed a Wii U gamepad
to play the game this time
round, a rather clunky change
after last years much more
comfortable Xbox controller.
Still, I figured Ill be free to use
my normal controller once the
game releases. Well, no, thats
the big news - Typoman will
now be released exclusively
on Wii U. Of course, Im happy
that Brainseed Factorys clever
little title has been deservedly
recognised by such a big
publisher (with the game going
under Nintendos Nindies@
Home program) but, to put it
bluntly, I dont have a Wii U.
For those that actually own a
Wii U, this is sure to be great
news. There certainly arent
enough inventive platformers
on the console, with the likes
of Ori and the Blind Forest
and Limbo missing from the
line-up (although it looks as
though Limbo will finally be
coming soon). Yet theres no
point ignoring the simple fact
that most gamers own either
65 GameOn Magazine
Previews
a PS4, Xbox One or PC. I was

obviously a little saddened to
hear that Typoman would be a
Wii U exclusive, not just because
I wont be able to play it, but
because I feel as though the
game deserves more. Exclusivity
to the least popular console
available is sure to limit the

attention Typoman will get,
and from Ive seen it deserves
a lot. Maybe Ill be proven
wrong; I can only hope so.
The exclusivity deal aside, the
game is certainly shaping up to
be a fantastic little platformer.

The brilliant word-play puzzles
that impressed me in my first
play through were back in force
this time round. My favourite
example by far being a series
of platforms with crush written
on them, that the Hero has to
run past before they squash
him. Of course, thats not
exactly exciting or original,
but as the platform moved up
the c in crush would be left
behind, encouraging the player
to rush; past the trap. Its a
very small change from the
standard fare, but even this far
less interactive example was
enough to put a smile on my
face. The level was filled with
other puzzles in which the word66 GameOn Magazine
Previews

as effectively as the simpler
puzzles. Still, balancing the
game out with running/jumping
and more considered and
layered puzzles is a great way to
go, and something that should
easily carry players through
the 4-5 hours play time. In this
regard, Typoman is looking
very Limbo; with a short play
time but one thats filled with
constantly evolving ideas.
play was far more important,
but that one stuck out to me
due to its wonderful simplicity.
I also got to try my hand at a
much more difficult level that
involved the Hero teleporting

to different parts of the level in
an effort to bring a collection
of words together. It was good
fun, although it didnt use
the word-play system quite
Typoman is due out towards

the end of this year, and will
obviously be exclusive to Wii
U. Heres to hoping that ends
up being a timed exclusive...
67 GameOn Magazine
Previews
Kingdom gamescom
Kingdom gamescom Preview

Release Dates
Publisher: Raw Fury Games

Developer: Licorice, Noio
Genre: Strategy
Platform: PC
ingdom is one of those

rare games that comes
from humble beginnings
and has the potential to
instantly stun the masses.
Its not a AAA action packed
shooter, or an alternative puzzle
platformer, but a simple, pixel
art, strategy-cum-tower defence
TBA
By Dom DAngelillo
game that stole my heart at

gamescom from the get go.
In what was originally designed
as a Flash game, Kingdom
is the brainchild of Dutch
developer Thomas van den
Berg. His idea, which began
life as a simple 8-bit drawing
of a man on a horse, has

since been picked up by Raw
Fury Games and is now being
rebuilt for PC, Mac and Linux.
The premise is simple. You
take control of a randomly
generated King or Queen -- the
game generates everything
68 GameOn Magazine
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Kingdom gamescom
from gender, to race, horse
colour, attire and regal flag -and have to build your kingdom,
making it secure from beasts
and bad guys who fancy their
chances come nightfall. You
roam across the 2D-plain
using your coins to build walls,
watch towers, farmland and
weapon depots, everything
that helps make your kingdom
impenetrable and create
income. Walls and defences can
be broken down without game
over being declared though.
Unless the crown is taken from
you (i.e you are killed) the
game continues; while your
inhabitants lay maimed and
walls crumbled, its business
as usual until youve had the
beautifully blunt No Crown,
No King appear on screen.
As for the day/night cycle itself,
its still a working progress,
while Im sure it will be perfect
come release, I couldnt help
but feel it was a little too
quick. This was particularly
noticeable during earlier
stages as you familiarised
yourself with the essentials.
The game was described to
me as a minimalist strategy,
everything has a purpose,
working together for a single
69 GameOn Magazine
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Kingdom gamescom
goal, but I also felt there were

elements of a tower defence
game, the build, upgrade
and protect parts that are
so established within the
industry. Imagine a tower
defence where you roam the
tower walls from the ground,
rather than with a god-like
view, and youve got the idea.
It doesnt stop there though,
and Kingdoms beauty shines
through once you leave the
relative safety of the kingdom
walls. This is perhaps where the
strategy side begins to surface
and the tower defence drifts
off. To the left and right of your
70 GameOn Magazine
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Kingdom gamescom
under construction kingdom is a
randomly generated wilderness,
the further you traverse, the
greater you will be rewarded.
During my playthrough, I came
across chests brimming with
cash, overpowered and angry
enemies, shrines which can
upgrade infantry and straggling
members of the public ready
to be recruited for your
kingdom. Its the risk-reward
combination that you get in
any exploration game, on a
simple and digestible scale.
To tell you that Kingdom is
beautiful would be like telling
you that nighttime is dark.
The simple design, originally
based on limitations of a
Flash game, transcend into
the gaming mainstream and
looks as relevant as a AAA

cinematic. The world is a
mystical landscape with swaying
trees and moving clouds,
the water in the foreground
reflects the surrounding world
in a calming manner and fires
crackle and pop as night turns
to day. You can tell everything
has been carefully thought
of, everything is there for a
reason and theres no sign of
filler or unnecessary images.
Everything, from the look, the
feel and the sound of Kingdom
should be enough to convince
you to play. While there is
still no solid release date, the
guys told me it would likely be
released late this year or early
next, but its ready when its
ready. Having played on a PC
via a Dualshock 4 controller, I

was also quick to ask if Kingdom
would be coming to consoles.
Again, there was no definitive
answer, but I was told that
they wanted to eventually
roll it out on consoles, after
all, it felt completely natural
playing with a controller.
With that in mind, if youre
looking for a calming, beautiful
and tactical experience, then
whenever Raw Fury decide
the time is to drop Kingdom,
I implore that you try it,
regardless of platform.
There is still no hard date for
Kingdoms release, but youll
be able to play it on PC, Mac
and Linux when it drops.
71 GameOn Magazine
Previews
Into the Stars gamescom
Into the Stars gamescom Preview

Publisher: Iceberg Interactive
Developer: Fugitive Games
Genre: Simulation
Platform: PC
Release Dates
By Ryan Davies
pace, despite its great

darkness and seeming
emptiness, is an incredibly
beautiful expanse. Despite
that, I would venture to say
that few games have ever really
captured that beauty. Too often
incredible vistas are replaced by
star-dotted black spaces, and
while thats understandable
given the vastness of it all,
Ive long awaited a game that
captures space in its true form.
My very first impression of Into
the Stars completely astounded
me. A single spacecraft floated
in the centre of the screen, in
the middle distance a vibrant
green planet with wisps of
solar dust floating around it.
Stars twinkled in the distance
while moons and asteroids
72 GameOn Magazine
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stood as wonderfully textured

obstacles in the dark, but
strangely colourful sky. It may
have been an exaggerated
and compact version of space,
but it looked fantastic.
We can all rant over and over
about how graphics dont
make a videogame, but in that
brief moment I was totally
sold on Into the Stars. I knew
nothing else about the game,
yet instantly I could see the
potential. Lets ground things a
little though, because as great as
the game looks, I certainly am
a believer in the graphics are
made to enhance philosophy.
Thankfully, developer Fugitive
Games also seems to be making

a highly accomplished space
exploration game to work in
tandem with those beautiful
visuals. If youre a fan of FTL,
Out There! or other games in
that vein, then you should really
pay attention to the following.
So yes, itll be very difficult for
Fugitive to avoid the prettier
FTL comments, and in fact
the developer I spoke with
essentially said the same thing.
For fans of that game, I can only
hope that youve got a penchant
for more space exploration.
What Into the Stars may do
however, is bring a lot of new
eyes to the genre at large. The
game is currently available as

part of Steam Early Access, and
while its far from a finished
product, theres actually quite a
lot of content to play through.
Plus, the procedural nature of
the game means its a relatively
unique experience every time
you play. Starting with a basic
spaceship, you have to kit it
out with parts and fill it up
with the resources that should
carry you through space.
There are a fair number of
choices when it comes to ship
customisation, each of them
encouraging you to play in a
slightly different way. Once
your ship is loaded up, its off
73 GameOn Magazine
Previews

into the endless (although
pretty) void of space. Well, its
not actually endless. In fact,
the whole aim of the game is
to reach the other end of the
game area as you slowly run
away from an alien threat.
That constant push to avoid
the more powerful enemies
is a fantastic motivator, and
while FTL deals in turns, Into
the Stars is all real-time. The
more time you spend extracting
resources from planets, or
saving fellow humans from
falling colonies, the closer the

dreaded Skorn (the games
baddies) get to you. With a
warning voice announcing their
proximity to your ship, things
can get a little tense at times.
So, thatll prevent you from
overly exploiting a single
planet, but it also gives each
search a brilliant sense of
peril. What youll actually
be doing on that planet is
entirely up to you; theres the
option to mine for additional
resources, thereby incurring a

solid minigame in which you
move the drill through the
resources you want. Or you
could launch a recon mission
that sees your spacecraft
recruit new crew members,
gain ship improvements or
maybe, well, fall into a trap. All
of these missions, including
the mining, are given a chance
of success that depends on
the competency of your crew
members. Obviously the aim
is that youll grow attached to
74 GameOn Magazine
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these crew members - although
at the rate I was losing them
I found that a little tricky...
Combat is another important
element of the game, although
its another somewhat unusual
element that plays further
on the real-time style. When
locked in a fight, youre charged
with placing crew members
on different parts of your ship,
be it lasers, cannons, shields
or the medibay. You can then
use these sections to fight the
battle, selecting each section

in real-time and using them
on enemy ships. This is further
complicated by a weird colourcode mechanic in which you
have to fire weapons that are
coloured differently to the
enemy ships shields. Equally,
you have to activate shields, at
the right moment, that match
the enemy lasers. Its odd, no
doubt about that, and while
I didnt quite get on with the
mechanic during my playtime,
I can see the possibilities.
Into the Stars, as mentioned,

is a worthwhile venture even
at this early stage. Theres a lot
more to come (heck, the devs
have even mapped it out on
Trello!), and no doubt the game
will grow and morph during
the development process. A
pretty FTL may be a fitting
title, but Id bank on Fugitive
Games making it mean much
more than that by the time
the full game releases.
75 GameOn Magazine
Previews
Dub Dash gamescom
Dub Dash gamescom Preview

Release Dates
Publisher: HeadUp Games

Developer: Incodra
Genre: Arcade
Platform: PC, iOS
8th October 2015
By Dom DAngelillo
n a nutshell, Dub Dash is

one of those games that
will have you tearing your
hair out, laughing hysterically,
screaming in anger and
then suddenly realising that
four hours have passed and
youre still sat on the toilet.
Coming to both PC and mobile,
Dub Dash is a fast-paced,
rhythm focused, endless
runner with a huge focus on
a dub based soundtrack and
a neon trance style. During
gamescom I got a brief
hands-on with the upcoming
title, and within moments
I was instantly hooked.
The aim is to navigate through
levels, avoiding obstacles with
76 GameOn Magazine
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Dub Dash gamescom

a simple tap of the screen (the
hands-on was with an iPad).
Simple. Well, not quite, its not
an endless runner in the usual
sense, as once you reach the
end of one set of obstacles,
you are teleported elsewhere
and the game becomes an
entirely different beast.
After finishing the initial thirdperson stage, tapping your ball
past obstacles, you are taken
to a side scrolling stage and are
now in control of a spaceship.
Tapping and releasing raises and
drops your craft, and suddenly
the game turns into something
along the lines of the Flash
game Copter. The change came
as a welcome surprise, it keeps
you on your toes and forces you
to change your playing style,
something which I dont think
Ive seen before in a game of

this ilk. The longer you play,
the more difficult the levels will
become, and the change from
third-person, to side-scroller
soon becomes second nature.
Theres something very hypnotic
about the style of Dub Dash
too. The flashing lights and
futuristic style are reminiscent
of shinier, more polished
F-Zero vista, pulling you in
and keeping you transfixed
on the screen like a magpie
to a piece of tinfoil. The dub
inspired soundtrack ensures
that your dances around
obstacles are timed with beats,
this doesnt just help get you in
the rhythm, but also provides
a catchy soundtrack that goes
perfectly with the aesthetic.
If one thing is certain Dub

Dash is going to be one of
those games that you see
and hear all of the time, even
when you close your eyes.
It might not be the AAA, thirdperson action adventure games
that so often steal the show,
but it isnt trying to be either.
Dub Dash is an addictive game,
perfect for playing on your
commute, in a queue, on the loo
or whenever you have a spare
few moments to pass. Once
you get the hang of it, youll be
hooked for a long time to come.
Dub Dash was part of
Head Up games huge lineup at gamescom 2015
and you can get it on iOS
and PC 8th October.
77 GameOn Magazine
Previews
Super Dungeon Bros gamescom
Super Dungeon Bros gamescom Preview

Release Dates
Publisher: Wired Productions

Developer: React Games
Genre: Arcade
Platform: PC
ungeon-crawlers have
always featured a lessthan-serious tone. Even
the more imposing end of the
spectrum, featuring the likes
of Diablo and Dungeon Siege,
has kept its tongue firmly
in its cheek all these years.
Winter 2015
By Ryan Davies
Super Dungeon Bros, a new

dungeon-brawler from Wired
Productions and React Games,
takes that nonchalant tone to a
whole new level. From the first
moment you lay eyes on the
game, its clear the whole thing
is going to be rather silly. In a
game thats based around up

to four player co-op however,
silly is exactly what you want.
Who needs a deep storyline
and complicated gameplay
when youve got your friends
launching you off of buildings
or balancing on your head?
78 GameOn Magazine
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The premise is pleasantly

simple: Super Dungeon Bros
is an action game in which
you and three other friends
barrel through procedurally
generated dungeons, taking
out bad guys and upgrading
your personal bros as you go.
Im sure youve seen this kind
of game before; afterall, the
last console generation was
loaded with co-op games of
this sort. Admittedly, the genre
petered out a little towards
the end of the generation,
but with the PS4 and Xbox
One now fully in their stride,
theres no better time for small
developers to jump back on the
co-op brawler band-wagon.
Set within an amusing rockand-roll world appropriately
titled Rckheim, players take
control of Axl, Freddie, Lars and
Ozzie. You can pretty much see

where to rest of theme goes
from there; locations within
Rckheim include Cryptheim,
Chillheim and, yes, Bogheim.
As mentioned, its supposed
to be a little ludicrous, just
like the slitted-glasses wearing
protagonists and the array
of weapons they can use.
Crossbows, hammers, swords
and wands are obviously
pretty standard fare, but the
game allows users to craft and
upgrade their weapons as the
game progresses. The options
I saw at this years gamescom
seemed fairly elaborate, so
that should be a fun element
of the game that allows for
a fair bit of replayability.
Of course, the randomised
dungeons are the real clincher
in the replayability department.

Plus, those who prefer to go it
alone will also be treated to a
single player campaign - how
exactly this will play out has yet
to be seen, but heres hoping
it incorporates the amusing
theme properly. The four player
characters do seem to be a little
on the annoying side, but Im
sure they could provide more
than a few laughs along the
course of a story that doesnt
take itself too seriously... or
seriously at all. Considering the
whole game is based around
co-op, Im assuming players
can jump into the campaign,
although this should become
clearer as we near release.
So far, so similar to every other
title in the genre - excluding the
theme, although thats sure to
79 GameOn Magazine
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be a make or break factor for

most people. Super Dungeon
Bros is looking to bring a little
innovation of its own with some

cool tag-team moves that allow
friends, whether theyre playing
online or on the same couch, to

work in tandem to take enemies
down. The most basic example
of this is the Bro Throw, which
simply sees one player launch
another towards the bad guys
- or, you know, off the map.
Other moves include the Bro
Nado (really) in which players
stack on top of one another and
swing for the fences. Its a good
way to get players interacting,
rather than just blasting through
oblivious of one another. The
section I played was quite
80 GameOn Magazine
Previews

tricky too, and I can only
assume that these moves are
important if a team wants to
succeed later in the game.
Another unusual element is the
game engine. Super Dungeon
Bros will be one of the first
games to release using Unity 5,
an engine ideal for the games
random environments. Its
also perfect for cross-platform
play, as such the game will be
available on both current-gen
console as well as PC and ac.
Plus, in a bid that could really

bring some extra attention to
Super Dungeon Bros, crossplay
will be possible between Xbox
One and Windows 10 and,
separately, PS4, PC and Mac.
That leaves a lot of options
for friends who own different
platforms, and is sure to help
the game get off the ground.
With all of this, its the ideal
title for the likes of PS+ or
Games for Gold, something
that could broaden the games
horizons even further.
Super Dungeon Bros is due

out sometime before the
end of the year. Its shaping
up to be a great way to lose
a fair few hours alongside
your friends, and while there
are certainly plenty of co-op
experiences already on currentgen consoles, this is one that,
with its cartoony art style and
simple gameplay, could find
a much broader market than
those that have come before.
Well be keeping an eye out.
81 GameOn Magazine
Previews
Gremlins Inc. gamescom
Gremlins Inc. gamescom Preview

Release Dates
Publisher: Charlie Oscar

Developer: Alexey Bokulev
Genre: Strategy
Platform: PC
t gamescom, pleasant
surprises can be a bit
of a rarity. There are
often plenty of surprises, no
doubt about that, but my word
there are even more people
here this time isnt generally
a particularly nice surprise
at all. Thankfully, I had one
very pleasant surprise this
time around at the hands of
Charlie Oscar, the studio that
has created a fantastic looking
game called Gremlins Inc. As a
boardgame-videogame hybrid,
Gremlins Inc. occupies a genre
that very few are currently
exploiting, with most successful
ventures coming from
11th September 2015
By Ryan Davies
most popular physical games.

So a completely original game
of this type is really great to see.
Saying that, the first thing
I noticed when I entered
Charlie Oscars small booth

at gamescom was a full
cardboard and dice version
of Gremlins Inc. laied out
on a table in the corner of
the room. Being a huge
boardgame publishers that

have decided to have a pop at
making digital versions of their
82 GameOn Magazine
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boardgame fan in my own right,
I was instantly drawn to the
beautifully detailed gameboard
and chunky stack of cards.
Apparently the developers had
originally created the game in
this classical form, but soon
realised that so much of what
they wanted to do with the
mechanics required the kind of
calculation and management
that only a computer can really
handle without things becoming
horribly overcomplicated.
Ive played Russian Railroads,
I could feel their pain.
So now exclusively available
in videogame form, Gremlins
Inc. is a more American-style
boardgame that sees players
take on the role of a greedy

little Gremlin whose only real
purposes in life are to become
rich and powerful while
inflicting as much misery on
other Gremlins as possible. The

core of the game runs on a card
system that sees gamers play
two of the 150 overall cards
on each turn, one in an effort
83 GameOn Magazine
Previews

to move around the board,
and one to use the actual
effect of the card. As you can
imagine, a lot of those cards
are centred on messing up the
plans of your opponents, so
games have a strong directly
competitive element that
some boardgames try to avoid
(afterall, pissing off your friends
and family while youre in the
same room can be dangerous).
For the more cutthroat gamer,
this should be a treat.
The game board itself is a
wacky design that looks more
like a steampunk version of
Mousetrap than anything else.
Thankfully, Gremlins Inc. is
looking a little more original
that the perennial broken bits
boardgame. The game features
an inventive system in which
players must move around the

board from location to location
in order to play certain cards.
The bank, for instance, allows
you to play cards that generally
boost your gold. Or, to use a
more interesting example, the
casino lets you perform actions
that involve a degree of risk.
There are 11 buildings in the
game, each of them bringing
something different to the
game. Personally, I love this
mechanic as it really forces
players to pay attention to
others actions in an effort to
predict their following moves. In
a game where dicking over is a
primary goal, its important that
actually performing horrible
deeds is easy and accessible.
The rest of the game works in
a classic gain the most victory
points style, although there are

some neat little systems that
keep things spruced up. Like
the mayor mechanic in which
the player with the most power
(one of the in-game resources)
is voted mayor of this terrible
township. With that position
youre able to influence draws
as well as avoid nasty fines that
are doled out on certain spaces
of the gameboard. Or theres
the prison system in which
players can be institutionalised
by peace-keeping (or selfish)
other players. Once lockedup, the naughty player must
play through an intriguing
luck-based mini-game in an
effort to escape. Theres a lot
that stands Gremlins Inc. apart
from other boardgames, let
alone other videogames.
84 GameOn Magazine
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All of this great stuff is wrapped

up inside a beautifully drawn
steampunk art style that
genuinely adds to the feel of
the game. Plus, with some
fabulous thematic text in tow,
its hard not to love the overall
presentation of Gremlins Inc.
even at this stage in the games
development. Ive been a huge

advocate for more boardgame
design influencing videogames,
and to see a developer take
that point so literally is a breath
of fresh air. I spent more
time with Gremlins Inc. than
with any other game at this
years gamescom, and I hope
that fact speaks for itself. The

game is set for a beta release
in September, a beta that
should add some cool new
things to the game like a team
mode. If you love boardgames
or strategy videogames, its
well worth keeping a greedy
eye out for Gremlins Inc.
85 GameOn Magazine
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Crossout gamescom
Crossout gamescom Preview

Release Dates
Publisher: Gaijin Entertainment

Developer: Gaijin Entertainment
Genre: Action
Platform: PC
TBA
By Dom DAngelillo
ehicular combat has

had something of a
renaissance in recent
times. With the likes of Warner
Bros Mad Max and Batman:
Arkham Knight, games in a
number of instances are harking
back to the days when car
combat was a huge genre.
The likes of Twisted Metal and
Carmageddon have both, tried
to to rekindle the good old
days of head on collisions and
over the top explosions but
fallen short of expectations.
Crossout, the latest free-toplay MMO from War Thunder
devs Gaijin, looks to truly
bring back our obsession with
destruction. Set in a postapocalyptic world, you are
86 GameOn Magazine
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Crossout gamescom
challenged to build your vehicle

and destroy everything else.
Unlike other MMOs, there are
no character classes. Instead
you are given free reign to
design, build and test your
vehicle, nothing is impossible.
As long as you have the required
parts and they fit, you can make
whatever your car combat heart
desires. If you ever played a
street racing game before, then
the customise tool is going to
feel very familiar. Easy to use
menus mean you can easily see
what you have at your disposal
and the drag and drop tool
makes every small tweak and
upgrade a dream to implement.
Car parts; be it weapons,

shields or the more real world
wheels and cabin sections are
earned through playing and
levelling up, while Gaijin has
also brought in a trade system
enabling players to swap and

exchange goods on the market.
Crossouts true USP is in its
diversity though. In only a small
presentation and hands on
87 GameOn Magazine
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Crossout gamescom
I got the impression that no
two vehicles will ever be alike.
You can build big brutes, all
terrain speedsters, attach jets
to make your vehicle hover,
flamethrowers, rocket boosts,
you name it, chances are its
there. But dont just assume
you can make a fast vehicle with
every attachment under the
sun and happily race around
the maps though, because
physics have a huge impact
on your vehicles outcome. If
the gun on the bonnet is too
big, itll tip the car forward or if
you add too much weight, the
car just wont move. Of course
physics in a game of this ilk
should be a given, but its a
necessary hurdle and prevents

dozens of overpowered
vehicles roaming the map.
Once youve built your vehicle,
given it a unique style and
colour and are happy with
its armoury, then is the time
to take it onto the battlefield.
One particularly ingenious
feature Gaijin have added is a
test drive mode, this not only
allows you familiarise yourself
with the cars handling, but the
test arena provides a stationary
clone of your vehicle that you
can unload your weapons at.
Not only does this allow you to
practice your attacks, but allows
you to note any weaknesses in
your cars exterior that you can

still address before heading out
to battle, its a very simple idea,
but one that I believe will be a
hugely important part of the
game as a whole and the line
between victory and defeat.
Creation and confirmation
aside, the game plays like you
expect an MMO should. The
mode on show at gamescom
was a simple destroy or be
destroyed team death-match,
which took place on a huge,
but somewhat hollow and
unpolished map. For all the
beauty and intricacies of the
vehicles, the terrain seemed
a bit dated and like Id seen it
88 GameOn Magazine
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Crossout gamescom
all before. The idea of a post

apocalyptic setting allows
for huge creativity, but there
wasnt anything exciting in
the world, granted, I only
saw a small snippet of the
game, but they should have
been putting their best foot
forward. That being said, the
combat felt solid, and every
bullet and rocket fired with
real force, your car changed
depending on terrain and
every hit received damaged
your vehicle and had a physical
as well as visual effect.
an alternative for fatigued

fans of other genres as well
as the way in for car combat
enthusiasts. Customisation is
the star of the show and will
likely create a community of
bonkers designers focussed
on insane looking vehicles, but
when push comes to shove,
itll be the gameplay that keeps

fans playing. Its still too early to
predict the reception, but from
what I played, its great fun and
offers something different.
Crossout is currently in beta
with a full release expected
later this year on PC.
It might not be the path that

MMOs have traditionally
gone in, but the Mad Max
inspired Crossout might be
89 GameOn Magazine
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Stellaris gamescom
Stellaris gamescom Preview

Release Dates
Publisher: Paradox Interactive

Developer: Paradox Development Studio
Genre: Simulation
Platform: PC
aradox grand strategy in

space sounds more like
a fans hopeful dream
than it does a reality. For a
development team that has,
for 15 years, been focused on
replicating the past, the idea
that they would try to create a
game set in the distant future
always seemed difficult to
believe. Yet here we are, in 2015,
TBA
By Ryan Davies
with Paradox Development

Studio hot off the heels of its
two most successful games
ever, announcing a new grand
strategy game that is indeed
set in space. Stellaris is looking
every bit the classic strategy
title that weve come to expect
from the veteran developers,
but also an incredible evolution
of the formula that has served
Crusader Kings II and EUIV so

well. While many fans of these
games could well be stunted
by the unfamiliar setting,
this is very much the same
incredible sandbox of intrigue,
diplomacy and warfare.
Seeing a live gameplay demo at
this years gamescom, the first
thing to notice is the incredible
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Stellaris gamescom
scale of the game. Stellaris
takes place over a sprawling
procedurally generated
world (universe?) map that
incorporates seemingly
thousands of individual planets,
moons and suns. Whats really
impressive is the seamlessness
of it all, even at this stage in
the games development. You
can simply zoom out from
viewing one individual planet
to seeing the whole universe
in a matter of seconds. Of
course, thats nothing new from
the Paradox team, but in the
beautiful expanse of space, it
feels like something completely
different. Just the impressive
scale of the thing is the initial
indication that Stellaris isnt
one of the numerous space

4X titles already available.
The crux of the game is
relatively simple: create your
own space-travelling race, set
them up on a home planet,
and extend your power across
the galaxies from there. As
in all previous Paradox grand

strategy titles, that power can
be gained through numerous
means; be it through economic
and trade means, diplomatic
subtleties, military might or any
combination of these primary
paths. While Stellaris exterior
is more than a little unfamiliar,
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the game underneath is classic

Paradox. Diplomacy can be
conducted with any nation, and
the options will be just as wideranging as those available in
EUIV and the like. The ability for
the player to hugely manipulate
the world stage was always an
important part of those games,
so its great to see diplomacy
return to the fore in Stellaris.
The real-time gameplay will
also feature, with players
speeding up and slowing down
time in classic form; even the
UI was pleasantly familiar. In
reality though, thats where
the comparisons stop; while
the beating heart of Stellaris

was clearly cloned from
previous grand strategy games,
everything else feels fresh
and hugely exciting. An ethics
system, for instance, that tracks
the ethical direction of your race
regarding factors like treatment
towards aliens or choice in
technological development.
Thankfully theres no scale
between evil empire and most
holy harbingers of peace,
instead the ethics of your
empire will have an effect on
your population. Kill too many
alien races and the portion
of your people who support
inter-species relations will start
to get unhappy. How intricate

this system will be is unclear at
this point, but it seems like a
fantastic addition to the typically
po-faced nature of these games.
In fact, the way you manage
your own people in Stellaris
is very different to previous
games. Citizens play into
an unusual system in which
production on your home
planet is managed through
a boardgame-esque tile
placement game. The details
were a little hard to gather from
simply watching, but it looks
as though players can build
one building per tile, but by
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placing certain buildings next

to one another bonuses can be
granted. Then, each tile houses
one citizen whose opinions and
ideas add towards the public
ethical views aforementioned,
as well as other gameplay
elements. I didnt quite catch all
of the details on this mechanic,
but itll certainly be interesting
to learn more on how it fits
into the game at large.
Another element thats
rather unusual for a Paradox
grand strategy game is story.
Admittedly, past games have
always been about writing
your own story for the nation
you take under

your wing, and
Stellaris is no
different. This time
however, actual written
narrative comes to the
fore. By exploring the universe
with your scientists and armies,
youll come across events that
piece-by-piece tell the story of
your faction with a particular
focus on its origins and how
it came to be. It sounds
fascinating, but the challenge
will be for Paradox to keep the
mechanic fresh over the course
of inevitable hundreds of hours
of gameplay. Events arent all
based on learning about the
past though, its possible to

trigger events that could cause
you serious problems - like
asteroids. These random events
perfectly demonstrate how
moving away from historical
accuracy can really help Paradox
flex their creative muscles,
and Im really happy to see it.
That sense of creativity is spread
to the player as well; Stellaris is
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shaping up to be much more
customisable than any previous
grand strategy title. For starters
youre able to create your own
race and associated faction
at the beginning of the game;
not jumping into a historical
scenario means each game will
be randomly generated, and
for the first time Paradox has
made a game in which everyone
starts on level pegging. No
more France and its endless
domination of everything. So
your races appearance, traits
and initial ethics can all be toyed
with before starting, and with
the AI using the same system,
every game will feature new

factions and races that youve
never encountered before. Its
also possible to customise the
ships that your race uses to
traverse the galaxies - or, you
know, wipe out other races. The
possibilities look near endless,
providing yet another way to tell
your own story within the game.
The way those ships look is
important too, because youre
going to be looking at them
quite a lot. Combat in Stellaris
is a bold new step for Paradox.
Although control in battles will
not be given to the player (as
with CKII etc.), this time you

can watch space battles play
out in cool cinematic style.
The number-crunching that
underscores all Paradox fights
is still in place, but now youll be
able to literally see the effects
of your military planning. You
can skip or speed up fights if
you know whos going to win
or arent interested, but Im
sure that itll be fantastic to
see your own customisable
fleet of ships take on a new
enemy every once in a while.
Its just another great way to
get the player more involved
with the actions of his or her
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empire; bringing the game
world to life in the process.
All of this incredible stuff comes
alongside other cool things I
noticed, like a tech tree that
doesnt look terrible (sorry CKII,
but that tech system is awful),
as well as a sort of intergalactic
UN that can be set up between
different alien races and used
to peacekeep the universe. Oh,
and theres the fallen empire
mechanic that sees certain large
factions across the map dissolve
into a fallen state, where they
become highly dangerous,
but far less technologically
capable than they once were.

Or youve got the major galactic
crises that are caused by
one faction becoming far too
powerful, resulting in events
that conspire to bring them
down. These can range from
simple things like everyone
declaring war on them, or
hopelessly awesome things like
robots turning on the faction
and starting an insurrection. A
machine empire in a Paradox
grand strategy game is just
too much for me to handle.
Long story short: Stellaris
already looks incredible. No
release date was mentioned

during the demo, so were
probably a fair way from release
(my guess would be around
late next year), but even now
theres just too much good stuff
to comprehend. Considering the
brilliance of previous Paradox
Development Studio games,
its easy to trust that theyve
got this under control. While
Stellaris is unfamiliar territory
for them as much as the game
world will be for the player, its
hard not to look at everything
theyve already announced
and simply know that theyve
got something special here.
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Heavy Gear Assault gamescom
Heavy Gear Assault gamescom Preview

Publisher: Stompy Bot Productions
Developer: MekTek Studios
Genre: Action
Platform: PC
Release Dates
By Dom DAngelillo
ou see a lot of people

when youre at
gamescom. A lot of
developers, a lot of PR and
a lot of press all of whom
blend into one games
industry amalgamation of
familiarity. Visiting Canadian
Indie developers StompyBot
was a huge change from the
norm though, never have
I met people that were so
passionate, so proud and so
knowledgeable about their
game that it really made
playing Heavy Gear Assault
one of the most memorable
moments of the show.
Heavy Gear Assault isnt a
new IP. Its not a quirky one
off or hugely innovative genre
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offshoot, its a return to a series
that so many fans hold near
and dear to their hearts. For
those that dont know, Heavy
Gear is a mech shooter, a huge
series that not only spans the
videogame industry, but one
with branches in television,
literature and even card
battling. To see it return is a
huge deal for not only fans of
the series as a whole, but also
those who cant resist the lure
of mech-vs-mech combat.
Currently in Early Access, Heavy

Gear Assault is, at a very basic
level, a shooter. On the isolated
Planet of Terra Nova, you must
prove your worth against a
whole host of other mechs in
multiplayer duels across large
maps. Its Heavy Gear bread and
butter, but it doesnt just stop
there. This relaunch if you will,
plans to re-ignite the fire and
appeal to a much larger market.
February 2015 saw Heavy

Gear Assault become an fully
Imagine if a Heavy Gear entry
sponsored esport competition,
from the 90s got a full makeover the winner pocketing $1,200 (a
and given full, undivided
humble but important starting
attention by fans of the series,
point), there is also huge social
and that is exactly what it is.
interaction with players setting
up their own profiles for fans
to follow their progress and

watch livestreams. It all seems
like this is what happens
when a fatigued franchise gets
given a second chance and
its done the right way. I could
instantly tell the guys loved
the project as they regaled
me with stories of ongoing
player rivalries and dramatic
finishes to critical matches.
Like a large number of online
centric games, customisation is
a highly important part of Heavy
Gear Assault, after all, is what
everyone will see and recognise.
Slow and strong, fast and weak,
or stealth and nimble, there are
a number of different mechs
to choose from and all affect
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how to approach battles, but

once youve chosen one that
suits your style its up to you
to put your personal stamp
on it. Choose the material its
made from, the style of paint,
colour, decals, pretty much
anything you can think of, of
course different players will
use this feature differently; you
may have a unique, instantly
recognisable and garish paint
style that stands out from
miles away, or you might opt
for camouflage and surprise
your opponents. Customisation
doesnt just give you more to
do, it changes how you play.
As well as that, the maps
feature dynamic weather.
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During my play-through, there
was a huge sandstorm, which
affected my vision, these
required me to change my
tactic, and its something I can
see having an important effect
on the outcome of a battle.
Gameplay is fast paced and
dramatic when battling it out
although I felt there were huge
periods of nothingness as you
look for someone to battle it
out with. Once you do find
someone, the fun begins, and
a fully dynamic system means
that every piece of damage
affects the battle. Keep shooting
at arms and they (weapons
included) eventually fall off
and destroying legs stops your

enemy moving. Whats more,
if youre really a badass you
can pick up discarded limbs,
and use them as weapons. Its
brutal, mechanical carnage!
The controls felt quite awkward
at first, as you control both
the top and bottom halves
of your mech separately, but
for beginners, there is the
option to control the mech
as a whole. Other than that,
its your standard shooter but
with a mech inspired twist.
Whats more, come release,
Heavy Gear Assault will also
feature an episodic single player
story mode. The devs told me

as Heavy Gear had such a huge
backlog of literature, that they
wanted to embrace this, and
have therefore tweaked a well
loved story in the Heavy Gear
universe, something fresh but
familiar. All of this paves the
way for a hardcore relaunch of
the series. Everything is going in
the right direction and although
the graphics and environments
were a little flat, its hard to look
past the community Stompy Bot
are building the foundations of.
Heavy Gear Assault is currently
an Early Access title on Steam
and is set for a full release
on PC and Linux in 2016.
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Hearts of Iron IV Updated gamescom
Hearts of Iron IV Updated gamescom Preview

Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Paradox Development Studio
Genre: Strategy
Platform: PC
Release Dates
TBA
By Ryan Davies
ts been a whole year since

my last update on Hearts
of Iron IV, with 2014s
gamescom providing my first
in-person look at the latest
WW2 grand strategy title from
Paradox Development Studio.
This years show gave me a
chance to see the game in
action once again, and while
not all that much has changed
on the surface since that
original viewing, its clear that
HOIIV is getting much closer to
completion. Gamescom 2015
also gave me a chance to see
some of the newer features of
the game in much more depth.
If youve yet to read much detail
on the latest entry in the series,
or fancy reminding yourself,
then its well worth checking
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out my preview from last year
first. If not, then allow me to
take you through my single
most enjoyable developer
session at this years show.
Hearts of Iron IV still presents
itself extremely well on first
sight. The Clausewitz engine,
while entering its twilight years
by now, puts in an incredible
showing; the world map when
both zoomed right in or out
looks fantastic. The colours are
so much more vibrant than in
previous HoI games, and of
course the detail in the terrain
and unit sprites is far beyond
anything weve seen from a
Paradox grand strategy title. In
the past, visuals havent been an
especially important part of the

game, but I cant help but feel
as though the beautiful map
will only help players to become
immersed within the game
world. Paradox grand strategy
games have always been about
letting the players imagination
run wild; exceptional visuals
only help to make things more
exciting and interesting.
Once you have completed a

certain set of parameters you
can activate a national focus
that will make a significant
change to your nation. For
instance, while playing as
Germany you can turn the tide
of history and become friendly
enough with Poland that you
sign an alliance with them preWW2. Or as France you could
adapt your government and
I touched on a lot of the newer
relationship with the USSR so
features in my last preview, but far that you join Comintern, a
this time I got to see a couple of move that will greatly change
them in detail. Perhaps the most other nations opinions of yours.
interesting is the national focus
system that essentially works
Each major nation in the game
like a much deeper and more
(perhaps even every single
intricate version of the national
nation), has its own set of
missions mechanic from EUIV.
national focus choices that
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reflect both historical changes

such as Anschluss or wacky
history-warping scenarios like
those aforementioned. Of
course, it was possible to make
unusual changes to your nation
in previous games, but this new
system should be a great way to
give players specific goals during
their play time. Its just another
sign of increasing accessibility,
yet accessibility that also gives
veteran players new challenges
and points of interest. Im really
excited by the possibilities of
the national focus system, and
certainly look forward to seeing

the goals for each nation.
Another newer mechanic that I
was pleased to be shown again
was the doctrine tree that lets
players decide on the style and
tactics of their military. Ive
previously mentioned how the
likes of mobile warfare, superior
firepower and mass assault can
be implemented by any country,
but what I didnt realise at the
time was just how deep these
doctrine trees go. There are
a lot of options, each of them
allowing you to either use your

troops in new ways or boost
the fighting power of those
forces. Seeing the doctrines,
however, did give me my only
reservation of the session as it
seemed as though it would be
foolish to force a nation down
a doctrine tree that they didnt
follow historically. Each nation
starts with part of one tree
already unlocked, relating to the
doctrine they followed in reality.
Thats not to say its impossible
to change track, it just seems
as though it would be harder
to forge your own path.
Other little bits that stood
out to me this time included
the amazing level of detail
in relation to individual unit
statistics, and the ability to
change them ever so slightly
with ever-improving technology.
Or there was also the neat
General abilities system
that sees your commanders
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improve in specific areas
of warfare. Stick a leader in
Africa for a fair while and see
them take the desert fox
moniker away from Rommel,
or keep one commander in
charge of airborne operations
to see their paratrooping
leadership improve. Oh,
and the small mention of 32
player online was a nice little
addition to the session!
One last thing I want to note
before wrapping up this little
pit-stop are the scenarios
Paradox will launch with the
game. Consistent with previous
titles, players will be able to
either start the game in 1936,
allowing them time to prepare
for war or change the course
of history, or start right before
WW2 in 1939. Thats all well

and good, but I cant help but
feel as though there could
be a lot more options. Not
necessarily realistic time points
later in the war, but rather
fictional scenarios like Germany
controlling all of Europe, or
Japan never attacking the US. Its
certainly something Id love to
see and jump into, and perhaps
its something that should be
opened up to modders - afterall,
Paradox has always had a close
affinity with the modding scene.
When I pleadingly asked the
devs for a release date, all I got
in return was a tragically generic
early next year - the same info
we were given at last years
Gamescom. Honestly, the game
looks about ready to go right
now, but I personally have a

lot of faith in the Paradox team
to deliver a great product at a
time that suits them; a sensible
decision, despite my selfish
needs. Typically, I wouldnt
write a preview like this in such
a personal and direct fashion,
but Hearts of Iron IV impressed
me so much that its difficult
not to get a little over-the-top
about it all. Its still my mostanticipated game, and based on
the gameplay I was fortunate
enough to see this time around,
it could well be the best Paradox
grand strategy game yet - and
that sure is saying something.
Hopefully it wont be too
long until we can get our
hands on at least the beta
version of the game.
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Action Henk gamescom Preview

Release Dates
Publisher: RageSquid
Developer: RageSquid
Genre: Racing
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One
ction Henk is designed

to be hard. That is
something that is made
evident from just watching
how the game plays. The game
is made to require a great
amount patience and control.
Whilst I lack all patience, its
lucky that these kind of games
excite me anyway, so Action
Out Now (PC)

TBA (Consoles)
By Luke Greenfield
Henk was pretty appealing to

me right from the get-go.
The story behind Action Henk
is that an action figure (called
Action Henk), that was once
the top of his line and the
best soldier around, is being
challenged on his abilities years
after his prime. Determined
to defend his pride, the hasbeen hero springs into action

for one more adventure to
show he still has what it takes.
The game is a side-scroller
platformer, much like Bit Trip.
The main difference with Action
Henk is that you control your
movements, unlike Bit Trip,
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where you constantly moved,

only stopping if you hit an
obstacle. This means you could
take a brisk stroll through a lot
of the start levels if a quicktime
isnt what youre looking for.
But if getting medals and the
best times possible is what
you want, then you better get
ready to jump, duck and slide to
get there. The game is physics
based; sliding whilst going down
a slope will get you extra speed
and jumping at the end of it
will give you an extra boost. We
were also shown some later
levels in which a grappling hook
is available, adding another
challenge into the game.
When I was presented with

the chance to play the game,
I went through a few of the
first levels to get to grips with
the controls. After getting gold
medals on all of them and even
beating the record set by the
developer on one, I may have
gotten slightly cocky, attempting
one of the final levels.
And I died about two
seconds into the level.
Try as I might, I couldnt last
more than a few seconds.
A constant movement and
momentum was needed,
meaning stopping wasnt an
option. The learning curve
will allow for sequences like
the one I encountered to be

done a lot easier; I did skip
nine chapters to be fair.
If youre a fan of games that
dont forgive easily, such as
Super Meat Boy or Bit Trip,
then Action Henk is one to
certainly look out for. Even if
youve never played that type
of game before, the tutorial
levels allow for a steady
introduction to the mechanics
of the game and dont heap
everything upon you at once.
This means that Action Henk a
good title for both experienced
and new players to the genre.
Action Henk is already out on
PC, and will be released on
consoles later in the year.
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Oriental Empires gamescom
Oriental Empires gamescom Preview

Release Dates
Publisher: Iceberg Interactive

Developer: R.T. Smith and John Carline
Genre: Strategy
Platform: PC
astern history, in
particular Chinese history,
is tragically ignored in
western teaching. As such,
most Westerners exposure
to that part of the world
(aside, perhaps, from Japan) is
minimal. How many Chinese
emperors can you name? How
many powerful families? Can
Soon
By Ryan Davies
you name any cities? Dont

worry if you struggle, I know
would. As someone who gathers
far too many of his historical
interests from videogames,
Chinese history is something of
a black hole in my mind purely
because there are pretty much
no games that actually explore
the topic. Thankfully, Oriental
Empires looks to change that.

A smart gameplay presentation
at this years Gamescom took
me from ignorant buffoon
to fully-fledged fan; its one
of the most ambitious and
impressive strategy games
Ive seen for a long time.
China, in particular the
Three Kingdoms period, has
consistently been one of the
most requested time periods
for kingpin strategy title Total
War. The warring period is
seen by many as an ideal
setting for the diplomacy and
warfare that accompanies such
a game. With Oriental Empires
however, the viewpoint isnt
quite as constrained. Instead,
players will see their faction
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evolve through 3000 years of
Chinese history from 1500 BCE
to 1500 CE, an impressively
huge time period bettered only
by the likes of Civilization. Ive
mentioned both purposefully,
because there are plenty of
comparisons to be made
between Oriental Empires
and both Civ and Total War. I
dont think Ive ever described
a game as a combination of
those two outstanding titles, so
the prospect alone is exciting.
The Civilization aspect is
instantly recognisable to anyone
whos played the perennial
4X game. The hex-based map
of Ancient China is all very
Civ, so too are the games
varying factions, diplomatic

strategies and research trees.
Of course, the unique Chinese
flavour separates Oriental
Empires from the distinction
of a clone, and so too does a
really impressive commitment
to historical accuracy. Armies
arent recruited slowly over
time, as in reality theyre
held in reserve and massdeployed when your nation
needs them. Or, to use another
great example, the nobles
and the peasants within your
empire are handled separately.
Appeasing one group may
antagonise another, and if you
push one group far then they
alone will rise up in rebellion.
With all this talk of mass

deployment and rebellions, its
hard not to notice that there are
elements of Oriental Empires
that are much more akin to
Total War than Civilization.
Considering several members
of the development team
once worked for The Creative
Assembly, thats hardly
surprising. As well as those
relatively small differences
previously mentioned, the
closest relation to Total War
is the amazing level of detail
and zoom. From a wide-scale
aerial view of Ancient China,
the player can slowly pan the
camera in until individual men
can be seen ploughing the
fields or preparing for battle.
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Theyre not like Civs freakish

giants either, but rather toscale sprites that are usually
a few hundred per army.
Even on paper that sounds
awesome, but seeing it in real
life is something else entirely.
I was shown that impressive
zoom level in such a nonchalant
fashion I had to get the
developer to take me through
it again - I just couldnt believe
that level of detail was possible
on such a huge map. Total War
obviously takes the cake in
terms of pure volume of units
on-screen at once, but those
battles are completely separate
from the games large campaign
maps. In Oriental Empires,
its all on one screen. I found
that to be hugely impressive,

and while some may pass
that off as a novel gimmick,
Id argue that features such as
this are fantastic for becoming
immersed in the game world.
My issue with Civ is that its
just too historically random
and not detailed enough to
let your imagination run wild.
Oriental Empires shouldnt
have this problem at all.
It helps that the version of the
game I saw had a really tidy UI
that should be great for both
long-term fans of the genre
and people who are intrigued
by the theme alone. All of the
systems seemed to feed nicely
into one another. For instance,
the edicts mechanic works
alongside the technology tree

system, allowing players to push
their empire in a certain cultural
direction. Plus, the technology
includes interesting paths such
as philosophy and religion,
certainly creating a much more
interesting development of both
tech and ideas throughout your
faction. With that huge time
frame as well, theres sure to be
a hell of a lot of cool things to
unlock. That historical accuracy
comes to the fore once again
here too, as all of the edicts
and upgrades are historically
realistic events/developments.
The ways to win a game of
Oriental Empires are similar
to other games, although
according to the developer
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I spoke with (a really cool,
humble, guy named Bob),
the game will rely much
more on your ability
to handle vassals
rather than pure
military domination.
There are parts of
Oriental Empires
that remind me
of Paradox grand
strategy games the limit on owned
provinces, for instance,
or the focus on realistic
game mechanics. If youve
ever seen any of my Paradox
grand strategy articles, youll
know thats not a link I make
flippantly. Another element
the game has in common with
the like of EUIV or Crusader
Kings II is hands-off battles.
Now admittedly, the battles
in Oriental Empires should
be much more interesting to
watch than in CKII, but theyre
still all about preparation
rather than military tactics.
the lack of control, but anyone

whos played CKII and the like
will know that its a system
that can be just as dramatic
as the direct control of Total
War. With Oriental Empires
you can actually watch the
fight unfold too, and on that

front its once again very Total
War. Considering all of
these comparisons
with other strategy
titles, I wouldnt be
surprised if youre
worrying that
Oriental Empires
doesnt have a voice
of its own. Fear not,
from what Ive seen
so far, this could
well be one of the
best strategy titles ever
produced from a small studio.
Its looking deep, brilliantly
tactical and incredibly beautiful.
Oriental Empires is due to
enter Early Access before
the end of the year, and
I for one cant wait.
All you need to do is set your

armies up, end your turn, and
watch them collide with the
enemy in pitched open battle
or dramatic sieges. The version
I saw seemed a little clunky,
but I can certainly see the
potential. Some may baulk at
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Paladins gamescom
Paladins gamescom Preview

Release Dates
Publisher: Hi-Rez Studios

Developer: Hi-Rez Studios
Genre: MMO
Platform: PC
eing press at gamescom

has some perks, and
one of these perks was
the ability to play Paladins
on the public floor without
having to wait in the queue,
and it was easily the best idea
I had upon the public stands.
I got to watch the people
previously playing the
game finish their match
before playing my own,
allowing me to get a look
at the different champions
and the way they play.
Something that came to my
mind immediately was TF2,
with the multiple champions,
cartoony art style and capture
point based gameplay.
As MOBOs are Hi-Rezs
TBA
By Luke Greenfield
strongpoint (SMITE), there is an

obvious influence of these sort
of games, with special moves,
mid-game upgrades (this time
in the form of cards) and a very
back-and-forth style of play
(presented with the lane system

in SMITE), its an interesting
mix that seems to work well.
One of the main mechanics of

Paladins is the card system.
Cards are separated into
three categories, Armour,
Weapons and Abilities.
As you capture points and
get kills, you can level up
and when you do, you get
the choice of selecting
one of these cards. These
boosts can be faster
movement speed, or
improve your damage.
Others could give the
chance to slow down
enemies you attack. If
you die, and your cards are
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Paladins gamescom
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Paladins gamescom
active, they go on cooldown

upon respawn. If they are on
cooldown already when you
die, they are off cooldown when
you respawn. You can only hold
5 cards at once, and the higher
level you are when selecting a
card, the better its effect will
be, capping at level 9. When
you reach level 6, you replace
your first card with a legendary.
This then goes the same for 7
(boosting your second card),
8 (third card) and 9 (fourth
card). This idea means you have
to pick the right cards at the
right times; picking a certain
card at a certain point in the
game could be the difference
between winning and losing.
As I looked over the match that

was playing before my own
began, I was able to see some
of the champions. Theres an
archer champion, with a very
fast firing bow that was ideal for
long range, but appeared to be
effective at close range, made
for dealing with single targets
instead of a crowd. Another one
I saw was a Goblin in a mech
suit, called Ruckus (the Goblin)
& Bolt (his mech). I took an
instant liking to the character
from what I saw of it, and out
of the six champions, decided
to go with him for my game.
Ruckus & Bolt is the heavy
hitting champion, designed
to cause huge damage and
clear the area for the other
champions to progress. With

a high amount of health and a
minigun for a weapon, I found
his equipment ideal for my
playstyle. His abilities included
Dual Fire which doubled up his
miniguns for twice the damage,
Emitter, which reduces damage
you take, and Hover, which
throws you up in the air and
holds you there for a few
seconds. You also move faster
when doing this and can still
attack and use other abilities.
Capture Points in Paladins work
a bit different to other games.
Instead of the capture-ness of
the point being reset over time,
they work on a percentage level,
and once thats full, it releases
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Paladins gamescom
a Siege Engine, and thats when

things get interesting. The
Engine heads straight for the
closest enemy gate, and this
is the only way to take these
out. The goal is to destroy all
three points and escort the
Siege Engines to the Gates
safely. Should a Siege Engine be
destroyed, a new capture point
will appear, and both teams
have to fight to capture it.
on a capture point and I was

able to sneak behind, using
my two abilities, Dual Fire and
Emitter, was able to take on and
kill the group in a 4v1. After this,
I used Hover to get
away before anyone
else could get close
to finish me, allowing
the rest of my team
to swarm the point and
keep it under their control.
Abilities are a major tactical

point to the game, and if
timed right, can often be used
together for a devastating
combination. In one specific
scenario when I was playing, the
enemy team had four players
Overall, Paladins is looked to

be one of the largest upcoming
games and one of the most
promising games I saw at
gamescom. Coming from
someone who could not get
on with SMITE (or any MOBA,
for that matter), Hi-Rezs
upcoming title is looking to be

a masterpiece in the making
and I cant wait to see what else
comes from it. Im going to be
keeping an eye on this one.
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LEGO Marvel Avengers gamescom
LEGO Marvel Avengers gamescom Preview

Publisher: WarnerBros.InteractiveEntertainment
Developer: Travellers Tales
Genre: Action-Adventure
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, PS Vita, Wii U, 3DS
he undeniable thing about

LEGO games is that, like
a toddler-friendly Call
of Duty, if youve played one
youve basically played them
all. While not exactly slightlymore-HD reskins of previous
installments, there is a definite
sense of dj vu in most LEGO
series, and LEGO Marvels

Avengers is no different.
The quasi-sequel to LEGO
Marvel Super Heroes (which
dealt with a mishmash of the
comic book Marvel universe
and some of the cinematic
one) Marvel Avengers as
Release Dates
26th January 2016 (North America)

29th January 2016 (Europe)
By Ruth Krabacher
the name suggests instead

draws predominantly from
The Avengers, Avengers: Age
of Ultron and some other
unspecified Marvel movies.
Players can relive some of the
films most iconic moments,
and battles--this time in brick
form. But beyond working with
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Marvel Studios to use dialogue
clips lifted directly from the
films, most players would
be forgiven for confusing it
with the very similar looking
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes.
In my hands-on demo of the
Battle of New York from the
first film, I found myself briefly
wondering if I hadnt already
played this in the previous
game; it certainly felt like it at
times. Level and puzzle design,
down to the red white and blue
sparkles indicating a switch for
Captain America, felt nearly
identical to its predecessor.
So did the slightly-clunky
character swapping system,
and the geared-for-kids aiming
feature for ranged attacks.
But that isnt to say TT Games,
the titles developer, has been
sitting on their hands as they
casually reskin LEGO Marvel and
copy in clips of Robert Downey
Jr. spouting sarcastic oneliners. There are definite new
features, although in my own
short experience with the game
they felt a little few and far
between. Some characters have
gotten new special abilities, like
Black Widows scanner that lets
her find hand and footholds
to climb between levels.
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Perhaps the most interesting
thing is the introduction of
special moves and combo
attacks, which become possible
after filling a ring around the
characters portrait. In the
developer demonstration, the
mutant speedster Quicksilver
performed a slow-motion
takedown of about half
a dozen goons and Black
Widow somersaulted through

the air firing at enemies.
Characters can also perform
these attacks as combos with
each other for unique moves
which change depending on
which Avenger the player
is controlling at the time.
Along with this were lots of
smaller, less noticeable tweaks
to combat, which TT Games

told us came at the request
of players who wanted more
combat options. But the
team had to balance it with
the needs of their younger
audience, they explained, who
might not be interested in or
able to grasp a complicated
combat system. So things like
the new combo attacks have
been designed to work both
ways: they can be purposefully
triggered by more savvy fans,
but younger (or more casual)
players will simply stumble
across them as a nice surprise.
LEGO Marvel Avengers is also
unsurprisingly seeing a host
of new characters from both
the cinematic universe and
the comic book one. Devs are
promising fan favorites like Ms.
Marvel, Scarlet Witch and Vision
amongst the 100+ newbies. Stan
Lee is also joining the ranks,
this time as the Iron Stan, a
Stan Lee-shaped Iron Man suit
which turns into the Stanbuster.
In keeping with the games
heavy cinematic universe
ties, the new free roam area
for Marvel Avengers is the
Barton Farm, which made its
appearance in Age of Ultron
as (spoiler alert) the home of
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Hawkeyes secret family that he

keeps hidden from S.H.I.E.L.D.
and the Avengers. After flying
around as Iron Man, during
the developers presentation
we got the lay of the land at
Barton Farm, which looks like
a surprisingly large map with
more than a few things to
fiddle around with between
fighting the forces of evil.
Overall, LEGO Marvel Avengers

came across as a fun new
installment in LEGOs ever
growing ranks of video games,
even if it doesnt exactly
reinvent the wheel. But as
someone whos enjoyed all
the LEGO games Ive played
as a bit of relaxed fun, Marvel
Avengers is something Im
looking forward to and can
easily see myself getting into.
And for the LEGO fanatics,

Warner Bros. also revealed
that certain pre-orders of
LEGO Marvel Avengers would
come with a real minifigure of
the Mark 33 Iron Man suit.
LEGO Marvel Avengers is due
out on 29 January 2016 for the
EU, and 26 January in the US for
PC and current gen consoles.
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Destiny: The Taken King gamescom
Destiny: The Taken King gamescom Preview

Release Dates
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Bungie
Genre: Action
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360
or all its successes,

Destiny has proved to be
a polarizing experience
for many fans. The highly
anticipated game released last
year to both critical acclaim,
and negative reactions. Destiny
provided tight gameplay and
15th September 2015
By Reece Armstrong
an immersive setting, but

lacked a strong story and
incentive for replaying that
didnt revolve around grinding.
Two expansions and a number
of updates have been released
for Destiny. These have made
considerable improvements
upon the game, offering a more
diverse set of modes and a new
social space that adds much
needed variety. Its these, small,
incremental updates that have
added so much more to the
game. Events give you a reason
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to play, and The Crucible,

combined with The Iron Banner
is now worthy of your time,
offering better rewards. There
is a host of content available
to suit every player and
Destiny is now, more so than
at launch, a very good game.
The two expansions that have
been previously released for
Destiny, The Dark Below and
House of Wolves, saw the
game shaping up to become
what many had expected it to
be at launch. But its the third
expansion, The Taken King,
which is set to launch on the
15th of September that

looks to be the biggest
and best one yet.
I was offered the chance to
play the first campaign mission
from The Taken King and right
from the start I could see major
improvements in the story
telling. The Taken King is directly
tied into the Crotas End Raid
with Oryx, Crotas father being
out for revenge against the
Guardians who murdered his
son. A cinematic trailer, the one
revealed at E3, was shown to us
before the hands on segment,
detailing Oryxs space fleet
approaching, a tense set up

for the upcoming expansion.
The mission I played was short
but had enough atmosphere
and cinematic design to feel
much more engaging than
many of the games previous
campaign levels. I got to choose
from a Titan, Hunter or Warlock,
each level 34 and equipped with
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their new respective subclasses.
I chose the Warlock as I was
more familiar with the class.
I was tasked with surveying
Oryxs dreadnought, which had
appeared in the solar system,
above Phobos, the moon of
Mars and one of Destinys
new locations. Cliffs were all
around me and not long after I
had started my journey, when
a Cabal ship flew into view,
dominating the screen before
flying off. Further on dead and
dying Cabal soldiers littered
the floor, one crawled to me
for help, before slumping to
the ground. These touches
marked a noticeable change
in the mission, and I felt
more connected to the world
than I had done in any other
Destiny level. The House of
Wolves improved upon the
storytelling in the game, and

The Taken King is bettering it.
visage of Oryx, demanding

revenge for the death of his son.
Inside the dreadnought

things didnt look much
better. Strange pockets of
interdimensional space were
scattered throughout the ship,
a device of Oryxs which allows
him to drag enemies through.
I finally encountered The
Taken, but the enemies, who
have been transformed into
Oryxs minions, werent all too
different from other enemies.
One of their abilities is to split
themselves up, demanding
you take them out before
more spawn. The Warlocks
new Stormcaller subclass has
a super that sparks a chain of
lightning from your hands, a
very useful move for multiple
enemies. At the end of the
mission I got to see a ghostly
The gameplay of the mission

didnt deviate from what
weve seen before in Destiny.
Instead it focused on telling a
cohesive tale, which sets up the
remainder of the expansion.
For arguably the first time
Destiny may have a campaign in
which the player feels invested
in. A feature which woefully
disappointed me on launch day.
Coupled with Year 2, which
introduces a new levelling
system, a friendlier U.I, easier
ways to gain legendary and
exotic gear and more, The
Taken King adds to an already
growing list of improvements. If
youve been on the fence about
Destiny, now may be the best
time to invest yourself in it.
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Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain gamescom
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain gamescom Preview

Publisher: Konami
Developer: Kojima Productions
Platform: PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360
dont think anyone would

dispute that what weve been
shown of the game has been
pretty astounding. The games
incredible history meshing with
modern game design looks to
be a match made in gaming
heaven (otherwise known as

Hideo Kojimas brain). Plus,
Ground Zeroes proved to be
a fantastic taster of what we
can expect from The Phantom
Pain, and considering the
impressive depth of that little
Release Dates
Out Now
By Ryan Davies
game, we can only imagine how

huge the full game will be.
Saying that, following this years
gamescom were now much
more clued in to the overall
shape of the game. As well as
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an excellent gameplay video
demonstrating the Mother
Base features of The Phantom
Pain, I was also treated to a
live demo of one of the games
pivotal story missions. Its
well worth checking out the
gamescom public video first
though; I must confess that I
was never a fan of the Mother
Base mechanic in MGS: Peace
Walker, but that was largely
because it presented nothing
but boring menu screens. This
time around, everything is
presented in-game, with each
department receiving its own
extended platform. The system
also looks to be much more
ingrained within the gameplay;
it was easy enough to get
through Peace Walker without
paying much attention to your
merc group, the Diamond Dogs
look as though theyll require
a lot more consideration.
Then theres the base invasion
stuff that could be a really
neat diversion from the central
gameplay; a sort of mid-point
between the single-player and
Metal Gear Online. While it
turns out that players wont be
invading your actual Mother
Base (but rather off-shoot
Forward Operations Bases),
I love the idea that holding
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down an FOB comes with a

degree of risk and reward.
From your FOBs you can gain
extra resources, but the payoff
is the risk of constant attacks
from other players. Whats
more, the incredibly extensive
options for setting up FOB
defenses look fantastic; players

can even set where their guards
patrol. Ill admit to once being
a little skeptical about the base
invasion system, but so long
as the rate at which people
attack your FOBs is controlled,
it could be a lot of fun.
As for the proper live gameplay
demo I saw, it was mostly
pretty standard MGSV stuff, the
likes of which weve seen in
publically available videos.
The fact that it was played
live, however, did allow
me to see how the game
reacted to the player making
slightly unusual decisions
or blatant mistakes. A rather
amusing little moment saw the
player cock-up his very first shot

with a tranq gun. Hed expertly
placed D-Horse in the middle of
a road in an effort to stop the
truck the bad guy was driving
from moving on, but instead of
taking him out the guy missed
completely, startling the driver
and nearly killing D-Horse in the
process. Funny little moments
like this are bound to be what
separates MGSV from other
open-world titles, as theyve
long been a staple of the series.
The rest of the mission was
indeed very familiar, although
the new setting was interesting;
a long winding road through
a small valley that led directly
to the enemy camp. The demo
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really highlighted the games
stealth mechanics - thankfully
relatively unchanged from
Ground Zeroes. That winding
road made it slightly difficult for
the player to sneak past guards,
but by using some classic
diversion tactics he made pretty
quick work of it. Probably on
purpose, he decided to go loud
for the final part of the demo,
in which we were treated with
a dramatic gunfight including
rocket launchers, helicopters
and a very scared horse. We
were told that no matter how
many times they demoed that
one level, something different
happened every time - and
while thats usually just a load

of PR waffle, I couldnt help
but believe them this time.
Whats really incredible though
is that through all of this, and
all of the past information
released, it still feels as though
theres plenty of new content to
discover once we finally get our
hands on The Phantom Pain. We
know very little about the story,
and for an MGS fiend like me,
thats an incredibly important
aspect of the game. We also
dont know all that much about
the open-world and all of things
well be able to discover in it.
The reason I mention this is
because some people have

noted that far too much of the
game has been unveiled prerelease, and while I agree to a
certain extent, I cant help but
point to the unbelievable depth
and breadth of previous games
and know that The Phantom
Pain will be no different. Theres
so much we dont know about,
and Im really looking forward
to discovering it all for myself.
Metal Gear Solid V: The
Phantom Pain will be released
1st of September for PS4,
Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360
and PC. Its nearly time for
Big Boss to get bad.
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Mad Max gamescom
Mad Max gamescom Preview

Release Dates
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive

Developer: Avalanche Studios
Genre: Action
Live! I Die! I Live Again!
Aside from being the

obligatory reference, its not
a bad description for the
upcoming Mad Max game,
which has been kicking
Out Now
By Ruth Krabacher
around in idea form since

at least 2008 before making
the leap to current gen
consoles and 2015 release.
At gamescom, I finally got
the chance to get my hands
on some sweet, sweet

post-apocalyptic action.
Despite spending a fair bit of
time in development purgatory,
Mad Max does actually seem
to have come out stronger for
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Mad Max gamescom
it. The game, which isnt a tie-in

to Fury Road by the way, gives
fans a new adventure for Max
Rockatansky who is looking
for the legendary V8 engine
Big Chief to use in his car,
the Magnum Opus. Mad Max
has clear ties to the cinematic
universe, unsurprisingly. During
the developers demonstration,
I caught a glimpse of several
familiar places like The
Citadel on the world map.
But Avalanche, the games
developers, have also added
in a fair bit of their own new
content; during my handson time with the game, I
was in Pink Eyes territory,
a new character created for
the game. Max also gets
help from Chumbucket, who
repairs the Magnum Opus
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Mad Max gamescom

and generally helps to keep
you from getting caught by
a Gastown raiding party.
Unsurprisingly, driving and
vehicular combat is a huge part
of Mad Max. Avalanche has
given players a huge range of
customisation for the Magnum
Opus: armor, tires, spikes,
engines, paint jobs...the list
goes on. This gives players a
lot of room to make their car
work for them, and as I worked
my way through customising
my own (with chrome skull
decals, obviously), one of
the devs walked me through
some of the pros and cons of
various options. Things like
armor, for example, gave you
more damage protection, but
added more weight, which
slowed you down and curbed
your maneuverability.
Once my car was shiny and
chrome and ready to kick ass,
the real fun began. Mad Max
is, in a word, fun. Aside from
being able to ram and push
other cars off the road, Max has
three weapons at his disposal:
the long-range thunderstick, the
mid-range harpoon gun, and
the short-range shotgun. Both
the thunderstick and shotgun
have limited ammo, however,
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Mad Max gamescom

meaning I spent a fair bit of my
time with the harpoon gun.
And, you know, ramming
cars into each other.
But while only three weapons
seemed pretty restrictive to
me at first, it quickly became
clear that combat in Mad Max
rewards a little cleverness every
now and then. Shooting out
the wheels of an enemys car,
for example, could cause it to
crash into another enemy. Or
using my harpoon gun to pull
down objects (or people off the
backs of cars), could create just
enough mayhem in a raiding
party to gain the advantage.
The other thing I appreciated
about Mad Max was the
sense of weight to the vehicle;

the gameplay lacked any of
the floaty feeling people
sometimes talk about with Just
Cause 2, and it was easy to see
how picking lighter armor might
have made me more agile,
for example. But this weight
really shone when I got stuck
in one of the games dynamic
weather events: a sandstorm.
The storms in Mad Max are truly
impressive: in what felt like an
instant, I went from a clear line
of sight out to the horizon to the
kind of visibility where you cant
see three feet in front of you.
Driving blind while heavy winds
buffeted my car, I was suddenly
glad I hadnt opted for a lighter
build on my vehicle; avoiding
the boulders and debris that
seemed to come out of nowhere

was already hard enough.
Mad Max features fully
dynamic weather, including
superstorms--think the
lightning sandstorm from Fury
Road -- and it gives Avalanches
beautifully crafted map a
stunning sense of location.
After getting a chance to see
it in action, I for one am very
excited to see Mad Max in all
its road warrior-y glory (last
one, I promise) when it hits
shelves and digital retailers.
Mad Max is out 4th September
for the EU for PlayStation
4, Xbox One and PC.
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Total War: Arena
Total War: Arena Preview

Release Dates
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Creative Assembly
Genre: Strategy
Platform: PC
Out Now (Steam Early Access)
By Ryan Davies
espite the Total War

series being a rather
impressive 15 years old,
the basic formula has barely
changed over the course of its
nine full games. The fantastic
mix between turn-based
campaign maps and real-time
battles first introduced in
Shogun: Total War is still the
core principle behind Total War:
Attila, and indeed the upcoming
Warhammer iteration. Total
War: Arena marks the first time
a core PC title in the series
has broken away from that
traditional gameplay. Where
all previous games have been
deep and complex, Arena trades
those out for a much leaner,
fast-moving version of Total War
thats quite unlike anything the
series has produced before.
While games past are famous
for granting players singular
control of dozens of units, each
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Total War: Arena
comprised of hundreds of
little soldiers, Arena pars back
the role of the individual in
favour of a team-based game.
10v10 player battles, with
each player controlling three
separate units, are the core
principal behind Arena. Its an
unusual prospect for a strategy
game, with the multiplayer
battles in the Wargame series
perhaps being the best point
of reference, but its especially
unusual considering Total Wars
previous focus on the individual
player both online and in the
array of fantastic single player
campaigns. While it may be a
little odd, it certainly works well.
As a veteran Total War player, I
was more than a little sceptical
of Arena, a feeling clearly shared

by many other fans of the
series. My initial impressions of
the most recent alpha version
of the game didnt help that
mindset. Without a proper
tutorial to speak of, things are
a little daunting to begin with
(admittedly that is in classic
Total War fashion), and only get
more complicated when you
traipse through the long string
of menus. Then, once youve
figured those out, its straight
into a battle with a bunch of
equally perplexed players in a
game mode that, while simple,
boggles the mind at first. Seeing
so many troops across the
battlefield that arent under
your control is a real pincher for
those familiar with the series -
controlling only three units sure

takes some getting used to.
Once that first game has passed,
and you start to get a feel for
how Arena operates both on the
battlefield and as a free-to-play
title, its all upwards from there.
The battles are simple affairs
on paper, each team must take
an enemy base at the other
end of the battlefield while
protecting their own. Those
early games have a tendency
to devolve into pure madness,
but once you start playing
alongside more experiences
generals, strategy comes to the
fore and teamwork becomes
more prominent than it ever
has in a Total War game.
Being a small part in a large
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Total War: Arena
battle is actually a fantastic
feeling, and it didnt take all
that long for my scepticism
to turn into unadulterated
admiration and addiction.
In the current alpha, you can
choose to lead either Greek or
Roman units under legendary
leaders like Cesar, Alexander

and Germanicus, with each
leader having differing abilities
and therefore specialties. Youre
then free to mix and match with
your three units between the
likes of infantry, archers, cavalry
and others. At the moment,
players tend to favour missile
troops as theyre in dire need

of nerfing, but most games are
usually pretty well balanced,
with wins and loses coming as a
result of good/poor teamwork
rather than poor matchmaking.
Of course, those accustomed to
winning or losing based entirely
on their own ability will have
to adjust to the fact that losses
can often be completely out of
their control. Whats arguably
more important in Arena is how
you performed individually - as
thats how youre judged when
receiving XP and other goodies.
Indeed, alongside the
surprisingly fun battles is a
robust and perfectly-formed
free-to-play system that allows
players to gradually improve
their generals and units.
Thankfully, most of the game
is accessible through playing
the battles, and even the rarer
units that require gold (which
will be purchasable with real
money in the final game) can
be accessed through hard graft.
Special cosmetic changes to
units will also be accessible
with real money. Apart from
those rather minor additions
(and of course the ability to
simply save time and effort), the
whole game is easily playable
and accessible without having
132 GameOn Magazine
Previews
Total War: Arena
to pay a penny - and hopefully

your enjoyment of the game will
be the only thing encouraging
you to spend money.
Upgrading units with the silver
and XP earned in battle is a
great idea, and slowly moving
your little army up from a
bunch of militia to hard-nosed
legionaries is a thrill akin to
the standard Total War games.
Of course, the fact that you
only have three units in battle
means youll probably spend a
lot more time worrying about
how theyll function individually.
The fact that you can change
between commanders also
means you can work on
different armies as you play.
The Greeks and Romans do

function quite differently, so its
well worth trying both factions
out. The Creative Assembly
hasnt announced anything
concerning more factions, but
hopefully well see even more
added as the game progresses.
Which is a key point thats
well worth reiterating: Total
War: Arena is still a work in
progress - yet its one of those
Early Access games thatll keep
you playing right up until the
game is released. New maps
are unveiled periodically,
alongside constant bug fixes
and gameplay changes.
There are certainly plenty of
improvements that need to
be made; for instance the

UI in battles could be better
organised, and the camera
really needs to be able to
zoom out much further than it
currently does. Yet these issues
are minor and not exactly
numerous. Arena is a surprising
success, at least in its current
form. The idea of 10v10 Total
War battles was somewhat
horrific when first revealed,
but this is clearly an idea The
Creative Assembly has been
toying with for a while. It really
works, and fans of the series
should definitely give it a try.
Plus, given the streamlined
gameplay and free nature, it
could well draw many more
eyes to the series at large.
133 GameOn Magazine
Previews
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 Preview

Release Dates
Publisher: Bandai Namco

Developer: Omega Force
Platform: PS4, PS Vita, PS3
or those devotees of
Luffy & Co.s mischievous
enterprises, a new game
about their show must sound
like music to their ears. One
Piece is a seemingly endless
show, but it still brings fan in
front of the TV 18 years after
its original release. If theres
anything thats characteristic
Out Now
By VodKaVK
about the show is the mix of

dramatic moments with the
permanent childish, cheesy and
sarcastic tone of the characters,
always with a garnish of graphic
violence. Pirate Warriors 3
does not disappoint in this
category. The charming and
snappy one-liners that keep
the show light-hearted, amidst
screams and shudders of pain,

are still present in the game,
which follows to great
extent, through dreary text
boxes the story of the show.
Now, here at GameOn weve
managed to play the first hour
and a half of the game, and
for those unacquainted with
134 GameOn Magazine
Previews

satisfying they feel make
it easier to take down dozens
of enemies at once, as all
punches or sword slashes have
a pretty big swinging range.
the original show, weve found

that Pirate Warriors 3 has a
very unwelcoming exposition.
One Piece has memorable and
relatable characters, who are
slowly introduced and built
throughout the show. Pirate
Warriors 3 seems to focus on
the niche of people that know
what the show is about, and
how the events take place,
as their introduction to them
is overwhelmingly brief and
cold, presented through plain
text boxes taking the whole
screen over a dull background.
It feels brushed over with the
intention to put the player in
the middle of the action and
by action I mean punches.
Pirate Warriors 3 inspired on

the title, but also on the main
combat mechanics, which
consist of an overpowered
heroic character against hordes
of minions. This third-person
brawler has no problems with
making you annihilate over
four thousand enemies in a
single level. In fact, all possible
combos not that many
and not that different from
each other, however cool and
However, killing minions can

become rather repetitive.
In these games, it is more
important to take care of the
generals or commanders of
the enemy army bigger,
stronger and more challenging
enemies. They are scattered
throughout the map and are the
only enemies that present a real
challenge. At points, it is better
to ignore any other enemy and
head straight to present Mr. Fist
to these guys. Apart from them,
other more boring objectives
include picking weapons up
from across the map, defending
a territory or fighting another
character, almost as powerful
The best way to describe the

chore mechanics of this game is
by referencing another betterknown Namco game: Dynasty
Warriors. Not only is One Piece:
135 GameOn Magazine
Previews
as you, as an end-level boss.

Sadly, every objective is
ultimately carried in the same
way, punching tons of people
in the face, which as Ive said,
can become a little too much of
the same thing over and over.
Weve found Pirate Warriors
3 in what weve played
so far a bit inconsistent
with its objectives. From one
level to the other, the way to
approach the map was entirely
different. It does give variety
to the game, but it can be a bit
confusing at points. The first
levels objectives, played as
Luffy, consisted in advancing
through the level, taking out
hundreds of enemies in order
to progress and saving Zoro.
The next level was about taking
and controlling territories,
and then defending them
against enemy reinforcements.
This one was more focused

on being aware which areas
were under attack and which
ones you had to go to next,
and so on. The management
of the territories was more
important than advancing in the
level, since if you lost an area,
more enemies would spawn.
Keep an eye on the map!
On top of this, seemingly
random events may appear in
the map, giving you the chance
to increase your score. This
punctuation, however, feels
pointless. We were able to spot
glimpses of a poorly explained
levelling up system, but as of
the end of my playthrough
through the first few levels,
that is , this system hadnt
affected me in the least. At first,
I was drawn at points to chests,
arguably hidden in different
parts of the level. However, I
soon realised how pointless that

was. I was getting gold, health
and experience, but none of
it seemed to be determinant
enough for me to keep looking
for it. Whats more, the level
design was bizarrely uninviting
to exploration: although there
were chests here and there, it is
never rewarding enough to look
for them. Levels are reduced
to big wide open spaces to
brawl in, rather than interesting
sceneries to play around. So, as
Ive said, the games potential
is somewhat squandered on a
rather shallow combat system.
The perfectly executed art style,
however, doesnt disappoint
for a second. Draw distance, in
terms of enemies, can become
quite obtuse a times, with
enemies popping up about
ten metres away from your
character. And yes, the enemies
136 GameOn Magazine
Previews

sprites may lack a bit of variety,
at least within the same level,
given that youre killing by
the thousands. Nevertheless,
the anime art style of the
game, juxtaposed with the 3D
environment, feels fresh and
natural, which is difficult to
achieve in comic-style games.
Maybe its also due to the
familiarity of the characters, but
even with the lack of meaningful
exposition, characters still
retain their distinct flavour.
From what weve seen so far
Pirate Warriors 3 is a game that
draws from several concepts
that have been present in
videogames for quite a long
time. It uses the familiarity of
the characters to achieve a
smile on the consumers face,
but thats not necessarily bad.
Fans of Dynasty Warriors will
find this game easy to master
and quite enjoyable, plus if
you like One Piece, this game
will bring you back to your
childhood. It definitely made
me reminisce of those mornings
during the summer, when I got
up with my brother at 7 am and
sat in front of the TV, watching
a plethora of Japanese shows.
*Sigh*.
137 GameOn Magazine
Previews
Energy Hook
Energy Hook Preview

Publisher: Happion Labs
Developer: Happion Labs
Genre: Action
Platform: PC
Release Dates
Out Now (Steam Early Access)
By Andrew Duncan
ew games are remembered

for their mechanics.
Gears of War popularised
the cover-based combat, for
Minecraft its main mechanic
kickstarted an entire genre and
Spider-Man 2 was most well
known for its web-swinging
mechanic. This is a ham-fisted
way of saying -- I loved the
web swinging in Spider-Man 2.
And if you ask anyone who has
played that PS2/GameCube/
Xbox classic as well as any other
Spider-Man title, what that
was missing, they will always
answer decent web swinging.
So when you have the guy
who prototyped and oversaw
the web-swinging physics
for Spider-Man 2, go out and
create a game of his own about
swinging around, you can bet
your spandex-covered arse
that there are high hopes.
138 GameOn Magazine
Previews
Energy Hook
Energy Hook is more of a

sandbox than anything, at least
currently. Developer Happion
Labs has been focussing
on the gameplay, making it
the best swinging simulator
it can be, but has given it a
basic plot. As an Energy Hook
enthusiast (think base jumper
or urban skateboarder), you
go about performing tricks,
doing time trials and basically
swinging your little heart out.
Equipped with a basic jetpack
and the titular hook comprised
of energy, there are seven
courses to play around in -- or
there will be, some of these
are still under construction.
There are a bunch of challenge
markers with races and trick
attacks, but you dont have to
do them and can just swing
about the place, much like
some versions of Tony Hawk.
Each course is very distinct
looking, and tell a tale of a
world gone through some
kind of cataclysm, judging by
the desolation of some and
the fact that the city of New
Atlantis is half underwater.
swinging and your foot barely

grazes it. This is a disappointing
way to die, especially as the only
other way to die is by smashing
into something solid. Whether
its a failed roll or youre
swinging faster than a human
has any right to and smash facefirst into a wall, dont let the
lack of enemies fool you into
thinking youre safe: because
you will mess up and die.
There are some challenges that
Energy Hook must overcome
before it goes on sale. The most
obvious first: the character
design is very basic. This is
down to budgetary restraints
(and graphics are definitely
not everything) but it does
stand out against the very well
designed courses, some of
which were created by third
parties. The ground controls are
currently either very sluggish, or
incredibly twitchy -- and which

one is usually the opposite of
what you want, resulting in
me drowning several times.
Both the hook and jetpack
upgrade automatically as you
complete challenges, but it
could be made clearer when
and what was going to happen.
There is definitely work to
be done on Energy Hook.
But thats exactly why Early
Access titles are in Early
Access; for the community
to say how they want things
to change and improve. As it
is, the game has some bugs
and isnt finished but is a fun,
challenging sandbox. Set your
own targets or participate in
the leaderboards, its up to
you how you play, and if this
sounds fun for you, I highly
recommend you do play it.
Which brings me to one point

that caused a lot of issues whilst
I was getting used to it. Water
is instant death, even if youre
139 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
Hacknet
Hacknet Review
Release Dates
Publisher: Surprise Attack

Developer: Team Fractal Alligator
Genre: Simulation
Platform: PC
acking wont make for

a good game. Whats
interesting about
hacking in the confines of a
video game? If Uplink was a
strong argument for hacking
as a video game, the Hacknet
beta was enough to convince.
Pulse-pounding and more tense
Out Now (Worldwide)
By Ben McCurry
than the relationship between

India and Pakistan, it turned
out to be an impressive and
overwhelming performance.
However, that was then.
Now, we have the full-fat
game on our hands. The devs
are finished and the game
is ready for release. I now
wonder: can the game hack

it, or will the new features be
a case of system overload?
You play as yourself, an aspiring
hacker using the HackNetOS,
an operating system designed
to make hacking a breeze. One
day, you get a message from
140 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
Hacknet
Bit, a fellow hacker who is

implied to have met a murky
end, and not via accident as its
claimed to be. To find them,
you must follow the trail of
breadcrumbs left behind by
Bit, who sets you on course in
your hacking career. At first,
they test your mettle with some
easy jobs hacking a friends
computer for an important
.exe, for example. However,
your skill and reputation grows;
hacking collectives will be at
your door, inviting you in for
more high-scale and dangerous
missions hacking a KFC
knockoffs servers to find out
the 11 secret herbs and spices
is a stand-out. This creates a
clear sense of progression the
game becomes addictive not
just from the hacking gameplay,
but also the idea of becoming
the best and getting into
even more cut-throat circles

to prove what you can do.
The word addictive is not used
lightly, either do not play
this game if youve only got
ten minutes or youre looking
for a good nights sleep. One
mission will slowly melt into ten,
and before you know it, when
youre trying to hack into some
high profile system, its dark
outside. Again, though, this is
a game about hacking. Why?
Hacknet is genuinely thrilling

and excites harder than a
million Call of Duty or Assassins
Creed titles ever could. This is in
no small part due to the actual
gameplay. You gain access
to computers and servers by
entering commands into a
terminal rm to delete, ls to
display files, and porthack.
exe to deploy a program that
grants you entry to computers,
for example. While this sounds
as basic as games can get (it
might strike some as a dolledup text adventure), where it
really shines is the thrill and
exhilaration of hacking itself.
The game feels naughty, taboo,
even dangerous, and thats
guaranteed to make your hairs
stand. The immersion of this
game is amazing; the addictive
aspect couples with this, and
you soon forget that whats
in front of you is a piece of
141 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
Hacknet
fiction youre in Hacknets

world now. Couple this with
the fact that hacking into some
systems trigger alarms, making
the hacking process a race
against time, and youll have
weapons-grade adrenaline
coursing through your veins.
This is, of course, a videogame
rooted in fiction, but the
feeling of doing something
illicit and illegal is present, and
will make your heart pound.
Thats exactly why this game
succeeds so hugely, for what
it is: its a complete rush.
the Matrix in that the graphics

are minimalist, juxtaposing
blacks and greys with bright
neon colours, creating the
strong feeling of illicitness
and danger that Hacknet
thrives on. This is supported
by the soundtrack, which is
mostly ambient dance music
reminiscent of Aphex Twins
earlier work (think Selected
Ambient Works 85-92) coupled
with more high octane tracks
for the time attack sections,
which works wonders to
the tense atmosphere.
How it stays so exciting is

intrinsically linked to the cool
presentation of the game.
Playing the game is like living in
Hacknet also seems like it

will include some of the most
interesting and captivating
moments in games this year.
Without giving too much away,

the game has an incredible
moment where a revenge job
on a black hat hacker goes awry.
They find out, and threats are
fired at you. Standard stuff, but
before you can finish rolling
your eyes, the infamous blue
screen of death flashes up
filling your screen, and there
is a genuine moment of panic
when you think, Oh, bloody
hell, what happened to my
computer?. Thankfully, its
just the game screwing with
you, Sons of Liberty-style, but
it demonstrates again just how
good Hacknet is at taking you
out of your comfort zone. This
starts a genuinely challenging
segment where the hacker
142 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
Hacknet
makes good on their threats,

leaving your computer a simple
DOS terminal, removing any
visual parts of the computer,
testing how good you really
are at using the commands, or
if you were paying attention
before. Indeed, Hacknet looks
to be one of the most clever and
thoughtful titles of the year.
Sadly, though, the game has its
share of tiny annoyances that
put a dampener on the rest of
the game. The game features a
Cookie Clicker clone that looked
great in the beta version, but
sadly doesnt work yet in the
real game (at least for me)
the games server is hackable,
but any attempt to access the
game proper is rebuffed. The
game is chock full of different
files that need not be accessed
in a normal run of the game,
being thrown in as comedy

extras such as humorous fauxIRC logs referencing assorted
Internet memes and in-jokes.
However, some cant be clicked
at all without causing the game
to hang, requiring a soft reset
that completely takes you out
of the game. Most egregious
of all is the timer/countdown
mechanic that triggers when
you go snooping in highsecurity servers. If you fail to
beat the clock, you get a fake
blue screen and a reboot, but
simply disconnecting from the
server at hand will cause the
timer to reset when you reenter, all while your progress
stays the same one can

potentially just abuse the dc
command to breeze through
the timer sections which should
have been more climactic.
Make no mistake, though
foibles aside, Hacknet is as
slick, clever, and unbearably,
maddeningly exciting as games
that cost four times as much.
Drop all preconceived notions
about hacking being boring or
unsuitable in a gaming context,
and let yourself be immersed
in this wonderful title. Send the
message to Ubisoft: when it
comes to hacking, Watch_Dogs
isnt the big dog, Hacknet is.
Hacknet
9.5/10
143 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
Legends of Eisenwald
Giana Sisters: Dream Runners Review

Release Dates
Publisher: EuroVideo Medien

Developer: Black Forest Games
Genre: Racing
Platform: PC
he Giana Sisters,
unbeknownst to me, has
a legacy stretching back
to the 1980s and the days of
big hair, synth music and 2D
platformers. And that is exactly
what it was, a platforming
game often compared in style
to Super Mario Bros. Fast
forward to 2015, and following
a successful KickStarter back
in 2012 for Twisted Dreams,
the series has once again
returned, this time with a
new approach. Unlike the
platformers that have come
before it, Giana Sisters: Dream
Runners is a platform racer.
Out Now (Worldwide)
By Dom DAngelillo
declared by either being in the

lead at the end of the timer,
or by stretching out such an
advantage to the extent of
knocking your opponents off
screen. Across the nine levels
are the usual trope of boosts,
obstacles and enemies to help
or hinder your race; bricks
falling from crumbling walls can
quickly change a one-sided race
into an even battle for glory.
Its easy to see the influences on
Giana Sisters: Dream Runners.
Elements from the likes of Mario

Kart, Micro Machines, Fusion
Frenzy and even LittleBigPlanet
are all apparent and thats
no discredit to Black Forest,
who have chosen an excellent
selection of loved titles to
paint the Giana Sisters canvas
with. But its variety is also
Dream Runners downfall; its
very much a jack of all trades,
master of none. Elements of
speed running and platforming
all feel so watered down that
its difficult to grasp which
With a focus on multiplayer,

the premise for Giana Sisters:
Dream Runners is simple.
You take control of one of
four racers and must keep
running, navigating around
platforms and obstacles until
somebody wins. The winner is
144 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
the games which were clearly
a huge inspiration to Black
Forest has used. The playable
characters all feature a distinct,
eye-popping colour and are
easily recognisable on what can
often be a chaotic and wideangle screen. And when youre
racing for survival with the edge
biting at your backside, the
bright colours are essential.
genre it truly fits into. Theres
nothing truly unique about the
gameplay, so much so that its
an easily forgotten game once
youve put the controller down
and turned off the console.
op are having something of

a renaissance, and the fastpaced race for supremacy that
is Dream Runners encourages
these multiplayer sessions on
the sofa, jostling for victory.
While you can play single
You have to take your hat off to
player, the remaining racers
Black Forest though, there is no controlled by AI, the drama is
tutorial per se and lets you crack barely comparable to that of
on with a game from the get
multiplayer. Playing online is
go. Other than a few tips and
also an option, but I found that
pointers during your initial race, the wait for opponents and
its pretty much trial and error.
lack of physical competition
Again though, it feels like a more made online racing just a more
detailed intro to the controls
difficult version of single player.
would allow for new players to
familiarise themselves with a
Giana Sisters: Dream Runners
genre thats relatively hard to
has a beautifully designed
master. Its a bold move, but
art style which again, echoes
one that is rarely well received.
Black Forests focus on
multiplayer is where Giana
Sisters: Dream Runners
gameplay shines through. It
seems the days of local coIssue 72 October 2015
All in all, Giana Sisters: Dream

Runners is a very average game,
but is ramped up and much
more enjoyable when playing
together with friends. The run
for your life mentality of the
game means that races, while
rarely one-sided, are tense
and enjoyable regardless of the
outcome. It does fall short a
peg or two, without really fully
offering a solid version of a
runner or a platformer, the two
barely propping each other up
as a solid genre. It might not
be entirely innovative, but if
youre looking for a new party
game to entertain your friends,
youre in the right place.
Giana Sisters: Dream Runners
5.5/10
145 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
MISSING: An Interactive Thriller - Episode One
MISSING: An Interactive Thriller - Episode One Review

Release Dates
Publisher: Zandel Media

Developer: Zandel Media
Genre: Adventure
Platform: PC
here was once a

time when I likened
episodic gaming to
FMV games: a brief trend
that had promise, but lacked
longevity. With the staggered
release of MISSINGs chapters,
I stand doubly corrected.
MISSING: An Interactive Thriller
- Episode One, despite being
Out Now (Worldwide)
By Ian Kuan
titled in all caps, doesnt rush

to unveil the whole of its plot.
The story is like a PG-rated
Saw movie. A family man is
kidnapped and subjected to
(mentally) torturous puzzles
in a basement while a police
investigator assigned with
tracking down the kidnapper
investigates crime scenes. In
the hour of gameplay in the
first episode, that skeleton

of a plot is all the player
receives. I am tempted to call
this lacking, but given that
this is a cheap FMV title, I will
instead liken it to the way the
film is shot: minimalistic.
Unlike the FMV titles of yore,
video in MISSING is crisp, clear,
and professionally shot. While
146 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
MISSING: An Interactive Thriller - Episode One
neither of the main characters

chew the scenery, their
actors dont bring anything
special to the table. They are
believable, but dont draw me
into their conflicts. While the
basement-like environments
that dominate the game are
rather plain, they are conducive
to the hidden object puzzles
that constitute the majority
of gameplay. The puzzles I
was presented with

were on the easier side,
but they involved just
enough mental acuity
to keep them satisfying. I
was quite surprised to find
quick time events sprinkled
into the methodical searching
and reasoning and while
they arent as offensive as
they could be, they seemed
like they were thrown into
cinematic segments to make

them feel more interactive.
With such a small portion of
game, there is little else to say:
the soundtrack is adequate,
the sound effects passable,
and the price reasonable.
MISSING has my attention,
but the next episodes need
to escalate quickly or risk
being mired in mediocrity.
MISSING - Episode One
6/10
147 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
F1 2015
F1 2015 Review
Publisher: Codemasters
Developer: Codemasters
Genre: Racing
Release Dates
Out Now (Worldwide)
By Steven Dawson
t seems that Codemasters is

making a triumphant return
to the racing games of yore,
dropping the party game modes
and celebrity voice-overs from
their last iteration of games and
focussing back on what its all
about - rubber meeting tarmac.
F1 2015 is Codemasters
first outing on the current
gen, having held back GRID
Autosport citing concerns that
they wouldnt have been able
to make the game they wanted
to deliver at that point. Firing
it up, youre given the choice
between the 2014 season and
the 2015 - depending on what
you want to do. I jumped for the
2015 season and got to racing.
If theres one thing this title
does, its that - gets you racing
as soon as possible. Theres no
over-the-top character creation
where you get to deliberate over
the exact angle of the drivers
148 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
F1 2015
nose or the distance between

their eyes; after all, its going to
be hidden by a helmet for the
majority of the game and theres
little in the way of additional
fluff. That is to say theres not
much in the way of additional
game modes. You get career,
quick-race, online and time trial.
Career mode is quite an
involved affair than your more
casual racer too. To complete a
race weekend, youll be taking
part in practice and qualifying
sessions, leading to the actual
race, which - at its shortest
setting is usually around about
15 laps. You can expect to be
putting in about 30 minutes per
weekend. Its refreshing to see
a developer tackle
the core elements
needed for the
game without
feeling the need to
tack-on silly extras for
the more casual crowd.
However, those who arent diehard racing aficionados will
still find options for driving to
make sure that they can still
get round the tracks in one
piece, as well as the ability to
turn it all off and go for the
most difficult experience. The
AI opponents are brutal too,
giving you a fighting challenge
for positions. There were a
couple of brief situations where
the they were perhaps unfair,
seemingly without penalty too.

A couple of nudges that had me
spinning out of control were
frustrating, but not common
enough that it became anything
more than in-the-moment fury.
Codemasters has done an
excellent job on the sound too,
managing to capture the utterly
flat and lifeless engines of the
current season. Without their
149 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
F1 2015
screaming engines, F1 cars

dont seem to capture the same
excitement as they have in prior
years, though I digress, as this
isnt an issue with the game.
was a clear drop in framerate. Codies were aiming for

a 60fps experience with this
title, but it seems that its just
out of their reach for now.
Graphically, the game looks

great, having taken and polished
the work theyve already done
from previous iterations of the
F1 franchise. Presumably, there
was a bit of work involved in the
assets for the newest generation
of consoles to enjoy, though
it seems like there may have
been a couple of places where
it could have been optimised
better. For example, flying
down the main straight in the
first race in Melbourne, there
So the gameplay is fun and

enjoyable, the audio is well
done and the graphics are a
sight to behold. All that remains
is controls. My first blast with
F1 2015 was with the controller,
mostly to check it had installed
okay - nothing particular to

report, it all handled as well
as it was supposed to. I also
spent a good while playing F1
2015 with the Thrustmaster TX
too. It was a game-changing
experience with the wheel,
as you get a much greater
degree of accuracy, allowing
you to take the larger sweeping
corners with greater ease and
the game takes on new life
when played in this way.
F1 2015
7/10
150 GameOn Magazine
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F1 2015
151 GameOn Magazine
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Funk of Titans
Funk of Titans Review

Release Dates
Publisher: Merge Games

Developer: A Crowd of Monsters
Genre: Action
Platform: PC
bsolutely nothing
makes sense in Funk
of Titans, and thats
ok. While modern Greece is
crippled by economic and
societal complications, Ancient
Greece is a calmer, more
vibrant and funkier setting.
In Funk of Titans, you assume
the role of Perseus, the living
embodiment of a 1970s funk
Out Now (Worldwide)
By Socrates
stereotype, in your quest to

rid Ancient Greece of all other
genres of music except funk.
A side-scrolling endless runner,
Funk of Titans sees you jump
and fight your way through
levels, avoiding warriors, fatal
drops and fiery platforms in
your journey to the jukebox
that awaits you at the end.
Levels are fairly short, about
a minute or two each, and
require you to simply reach

the end without dying.
As the son of Zeus, Perseus
ranks among the bravest and
most powerful people in Greek
mythology; beheading Medusa
and fending off a myriad of
Titans rank among his most
famous accomplishments.
In Funk of Titans, not so.
Perseus can take just two hits
152 GameOn Magazine
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Funk of Titans
from enemies before dying,

but a disappointingly easy
difficulty curve robs Funk of
Titans of much challenge.
With that having been said,
completing a level is the games
minimum requirement.
There are three main worlds
(Pop, Rap and Funk) that are
broken up into different levels,
with a QTE mini-boss at the
halfway stage, and a Titan at
the end. The levels themselves
posit three mini challenges:
finish the level intact, collect
all the gold discs and find the
Pegasus. It is in these challenges
that Funk of Titans totes some
replayability. The game itself
is fairly short, taking just a
couple of hours to complete,
but finishing the game to 100%
completion would require
a lengthier investment.
A progression system allows for
new weapons to be unlocked,
which in turn allow access to
certain hidden areas in some
levels, and Steam Achievements
are plentiful, for those who are
into that sort of thing. Collecting
the Pegasus also unlocks a
mini-game at the end of the
level, where you must ride the
horse for as long as possible,
collecting gold discs, which act
as the games currency, along

the way. That currency can be
used to buy items; anything
from a Transformers helmet
to a lightsaber, which add
some originality to Perseus.
The battle with the three
Titanswell theyre not battles
at all, really. Each world ends
with a dance-off with a Titan,
where you must assert funk
as the most dominant of all
music genres. Like the miniboss, these come in the
form of quick time events
which, sadly, present minimal
challenge (I got maximum
points in every single section
of every single dance-off), but
provide a mildly humorous
encounter if nothing else.
It isnt very long, and it isnt

very difficult, but I enjoyed
my time with Funk of Titans.
Its a game that doesnt take
itself very seriously at all; it
has no problem in subverting
the traditional expectations
of Zeus, Hercules and Ancient
Greek mythology in general.
I mean, where else can you
wear a Stormtrooper helmet
and don a flaming sword?
Hitting enemies is met with a
1960s Batman-esque wham
and bash, and the funky music
and bright colours generate
a nice atmosphere. While
entirely nonsensical, it all
adds to the fun and laidback
approach the developers were
clearly trying to achieve.
Funk of Titans
7/10
153 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
Biodrone Battle
Biodrone Battle Review

Release Dates
Publisher: voodoosoft
Developer: voodoosoft
Genre: Action
Platform: PC
ou have to give games

a fair shake if youre
a reviewer. Without
getting bogged down in any
murky ethics in videogame
journalism talk: if a reviewer
hasnt spent enough time with
a game, they cant provide
an adequate response to it.
However, there are always
exceptions that prove the rule.
Biodrone Battle is one such
exception. I tried to sit down
and play this game in earnest
multiple times. I had good
Out Now (Worldwide)
By Ben McCurry
intentions. I wanted to give it its

chance, but every time I did, I
had my hopes dashed and the
effort of trying to be fair to this
game gave me a headache.
Biodrone Battle fancies itself
as a robot arena fighting
game with lasers, and while
it does live up to that phrase
by dint of including all of
these components, the title
achieves the amazing feat of
making a game about robots
fighting each other using laser
projectiles a dull annoyance.

A playthrough starts in a small
room with a teleporter; from
there, youll head off to other
rooms where youll be briefed
on your mission, usually to
take out the occupying robots.
Sounds simple, right? Sure,
but good luck getting past any
one of these rooms. I have
tried several times, and I have
not been able to clear the
first section. I can just about
kill the very first enemy, then
the second enemy blows me
to smithereens every single
time. I nearly lost the will to live
after the 20th time but, luckily,
I didnt kill myself, thanks to
the game deciding to crash
after every subsequent run.
All the ingredients were there:
robots and lasers are seldom
not a winning combination,
but this is sadly only a recipe
for tedium and frustration.
154 GameOn Magazine
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Biodrone Battle
Why? To cut right to the point,

Biodrone Battle is no fun at
all. If you ever do get past the
seemingly unwinnable second
opponent (fantastic structuring
at play there...), youll discover
a bland, monotonous, onenote game that doesnt do
anything right. Battles against
other robots always go at two
speeds mindless clickfests
so treacle-slow that youll be
able to physically feel your soul
leave your body, and, as noted,
lightning-fast battles that will
kill you faster than you can
say, 3, 2, 1, activate. Trying
155 GameOn Magazine
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Biodrone Battle
156 GameOn Magazine
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Biodrone Battle
to kill enemies by your laser at

any rate is joyless. There is an
easier way to win; where you
can absorb your opponent
in order to take on their form,
effectively killing them, but this
also just serves to make the
game more mundane. This is
the most damning thing you
could ever say about a game:
Biodrone Battle is not broken,
lazily-made, or offensive. It is
just poorly thought out, and as
such, does not deserve to exist.
Cheekily, Biodrone Battles
Steam description features a
quote from a Kotaku preview
of the game, which describes
it as look[ing] well made and
polished, which deserves
nothing but derisive snortlaughter. The graphics are,
debatably, on par with Flash
games from 2003, and even
those had more charm
actually, Lego was doing some
great stuff with Flash then, and
it was free; this costs 4.99
of actual money and it looks
like a high school project. The
developers were shooting for
a dark, industrial aesthetic,
featuring poorly-lit, grungy and
graffitied hallways, marked
with hazard tape and billowing
steam, but the whole thing
feels cheap and flimsy like
putting Razer against Diotoir,
Biodrone Battle breaks down

in seconds against superior
models. Youll never truly buy
the darkened setting of this
game its just too amateur.
The sound design is on the
same level as the fun factor
of this game virtually nonexistent. We get a few very lowkey electronica-inspired tracks,
but theyre just as bland as the
rest of this game. Oddly-puttogether bleeps and bloops that
create an atmosphere, not an
ambience, that is guaranteed
to leave the player cold and
detach them from the game at
hand. Once again, absolutely
no thought was put in here.
Wheres the joy? Wheres the

excitement? Videogames are
meant to be a blank canvas
where creator brings a world
to life and player can live in it,
not a grey prison of the mind.
This is the gaming equivalent
of porridge. If Steve Davis
played videogames, this
would be his favourite. This
review might seem sparse,
but theres honestly not much
more to say. One last thing,
though: if all games looked
like Biodrone Battle, there
would be no videogame
industry every player in it
would be bored to suicide.
Biodrone Battle
3/10
157 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
The Flock
The Flock Review

Release Dates
Publisher: Vogelsap
Developer: Vogelsap
Genre: Action
Platform: PC
Out Now (Worldwide)
By Matt Wilhelm
he Flock is a unique
first person/horror/
multiplayer experience
filled with creatures trying to
kill the light carrier, a member
of the flock who has become a
humanoid who carries a giant
light gun. After there have been
around 215 million deaths,
the game will no longer be
purchasable. While people may
be disappointed that a game
would just shut down like this
the developers have already
promised that the game will
go out with a bang, in other
words they have a special finale
planned for those who have the
game in their Steam library.
The game starts out with
everyone playing as a creature
of the flock and must try and
grab the light producing artifact.
Then things turn around and
your fellow flock members
become the enemy. While your
158 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
The Flock
flock monster will seem fairly

overpowered at the start, it
turns out that the light from
the artifact is your one true
weakness. If the carrier shines
the light on you, you turn to ash
and have to respawn. The game
adds another twist in that if you
hold still as a flock member
you will turn to stone and
become immune to the light,
however as soon as you move
the light can hurt you again.
While this would seem to
encourage the carrier to just
camp you and rack up points
the game has a counter to this
strategy. As the carrier you
have to continue moving or
else the artifact will lose power
and its lights out.

Unfortunately as
the carrier you are
completely unable
to jump over any
obstacles in your way,
whereas the flock are able
to jump and dive all over the
place in order to gain a better
position over you. This makes
choosing your path along the
map a lot more difficult.
The flock also have some unique
traits for hunting the carrier.
You are able to leave a decoy
that you can teleport back to if
you think the carrier is about
to shine the light on you. They
are also able to use a shout that
will give a temporary boost to
yourself and other flock

members, but will also reveal
your allys current location.
Be prepared to have some jump
scares when you play this game
because every single player in
the match is looking for you
walking around with that little
light on. That is one thing that
has definitely set The Flock
apart from other horror themed
games, in that the monsters
159 GameOn Magazine
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The Flock
left on the respawn timer will

subtract that number from your
current score. So if you have 75
points and decide to instantly
respawn with 15 seconds left
you will be down to 60 points.
chasing you are not simple

AI that follow you around the
map, instead you are up against
actual thinking players who will
try to outflank and gank you.
The whole idea behind this
game is to stay alive as long as
possible as the carrier and shine
your light on blue objectives

that spawn around the map.
Now there is a catch with dying
as a flock member that actually
took me a couple of matches to
realize. When you die you have
the option to respawn instantly
instead of waiting for the timer,
however the amount of seconds
Speaking of surroundings I have

to say that the graphics in this
game are pretty impressive
considering they were created
by such a small team. When
you play as the flock you will
notice that the game has a very
grimy and dark look to it that
suits your characters personae
perfectly. The levels look the
way they should for this style of
game, whether you are fighting
in the grungy looking factory,
or the wide open caves filled
160 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
The Flock
with statues of Flock creatures,

you will find yourself admiring
the work the developers have
put into making the game
look as creepy as possible.
Sadly after you consider all of
this, you will find that you have
explored the majority of the
content. With only three maps
to play on for the entirety of
the game you are going to find
that after maybe three or four
hours, the game gets to be
extremely repetitive. During
the closed testing of this game
I would have given it an 8/10
review because it seemed like a
fairly cool game, however after
some more extensive play on
release I have come to realize
just how unfinished this game
is. Unfortunately the game
servers were only online for an
hour at a time during closed

testing so it had a big impact on
how much replayability I saw in
the game. Considering that the
game costs 17.99 CAD I can say
that the amount of content in
this game is not worth the price.
For a game that has a limited
number of lives the game is
still very unpolished and buggy.
There are now some incidents
where you will randomly
fall through the floor or get
actually code string errors.
The Flock is a game that had
a unique idea and game
concept, however it seems

the developers focused too
much on the idea of a limited
number of lives, and less on the
games content. Unfortunately
I cannot recommend this game
for its current price due to the
fact that you can play through
the majority of the games
features and content in a few
hours. The graphics are not
horrible for such a small team
and the sound engineer did
an amazing job, however the
rest of the game fails miserably
at being worth 17.99 CAD.
The Flock
3/10
161 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
Until Dawn
Until Dawn Review

Release Dates
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Developer: Supermassive Games
Genre: Survival Horror
Platform: PS4
ho doesnt love a
good horror movie?
The fear, tension and
death wrapped up a 90-minute
movie that will either frighten
you or amuse. Now, take that
concept; the same B-grade
teen horror, mix it up with the
usual tried and tested cliches,
make it entirely interactive
and you get Until Dawn from
Supermassive Games.
In Until Dawn your decisions
and choices affect the outcome
of a situation, or decide the fate
of the character and others.
Taking inspiration from Quantic
Out Now (Worldwide)
By Calum Parry
Dreams games, creators of

Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two
Souls, Until Dawn uses the
Butterfly Effect and the whole
premise is based around this
theory. The differences can be
subtle or impact the story in
such a way that replayability is
at the forefront of its design.
Even the simplest of choices
like siding with someone or
choosing to pick up something
or not can have repercussions.
The story within Until Dawn
doesnt do anything original and
only serves as a foundation of
the gameplay.Taking place in a
winter lodge on top of Mount

Washington, ten friends gather
for their annual winter getaway.
After a prank backfires leaving
one of the girls, Hannah, to run
into the wilderness, her sister,
Beth, goes after and events from
here take a turn for the worse
leading to their disappearance.
A year later Josh, the sisters
brother, invites everyone to
return to reconcile and find
answers. Its from here where
the story of choices, survival
and horror begins until dawn.
Until Dawn is structured
similarly to a TV show. Each
162 GameOn Magazine
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Until Dawn
chapter begins with a recap of

events, showing you the results
of your choices and the impact
they have upon the characters;
it works, but the nuisance is that
it occurs after every chapter
and is unskippable as it acts
as a hidden loading screen.
Prior to the start of each
chapter you are greeted to an
interesting discussion with a
Dr Alan Hill (played by Peter
Stormare), a psychiatrist who
asks the player direct questions
about their own fears and
questions their morality,
which adds more immersion
to the world and affects the
environments. Depending on
your choices all the characters
are playable and theyre the
usual bunch of american teens.
The connections between the
friends are either childhood

friends, ex-lovers, a couple
or just friends stuck in the
category of will-they-or-wontthey. Youre even provided
with such information upon
introduction. The only
standout characters who you
are first introduced to are
Sam and Chris, everyone else
is either instantly dislikable
or forgettable. Theyre are
believable and the acting is
excellent from each of the
cast, but their personalities
are pretty much the same
as any teen horror movie
that inspired them, and its
clear that this is what the
developers were going for.
Until Dawns main problem
goes beyond its storytelling:
pacing is an issue. At first Its
a slow burner and takes fair

amount of time to actually kick
in. The slow introduction, like
any horror movie, is in place
to get you acquainted with
the characters before taking
a turn for the worse. This is
plagued, however, at certain
points the game will jump to
another character to progress
through their part in the story,
ending almost every scenario
at a cliffhanger. Its awkward,
used to keep you hooked giving
you the whole, wait and see
what happens next moment.
The same can be said for the
gameplay, Until Dawn has some
bothersome controls. You get
the choice at the start to use
either traditional controls or
motion controls, I stuck with
traditional as motion controls
163 GameOn Magazine
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Until Dawn
can be a nuisance and Id rather

not be waving my dual-shock
controller around trying to
move in-game. The game has
fixed camera angles, that can be
annoying at times when trying
to navigate the environments.
One minute itll be facing
forwards and next from behind.

Anyone whos played the older
Resident Evil titles will know.
Throughout the game youll
come across totems, which are
more than just collectables.
These give you an insight into
events that will occur, whether

it be some guidance for the
future, a vision of a possible
character death, loss, danger
or fortune. Gathering all these
helps build The Events of
the Past and make the story
clear. Other collectables found
throughout are clues to mystery
behind the killer and past
events, these can be picked up
using the X button and with the
R2 and the right analogue stick
you can turn and move objects
in a similar fashion to The Order
1886. This is also the same for
all other interactions doors,
buttons and similar objects.
Your choices are made using
the right analogue stick and you
can pick one of two options, but
when in the intense heat of the
moment the game takes over
the movement leaving you to
with deal with an abundance
of quick time events depending
how awry the situation goes. Its
clich gameplay, but in this it
couldnt be done any other way.
It is an interactive story after all.
With jump scares, blood
curdling gore, psychopaths
that hunt you and some added
torture porn made so iconic by
the Saw franchise questioning
your morality. Until Dawn is
164 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
Until Dawn
frightening, inspiration is
everywhere and has something
for any horror fan and shows
that the developers truly
have a love for the genre.
Until Dawns visuals are
impressive, graphically
it stands as one of the
best looking PlayStation 4
exclusive titles available. The
environments, shadows and
lighting are all highly detailed
and the developers have put
great attention to detail in each
and every area, whether it is
the inside of the lodge, the
stormy winter of the forest or
an abandoned cabin; detail is
everywhere. Sound design is
also top notch, with eerie effects
that send chills throughout
and with music and sounds
intensifying a of foreboding and
dread, there is even an excellent
opening title song called
ODeath by Amy Van Roekel
to give that real movie feel.
The characters are the visual
highpoint with impressively
detailed facial animations,
showing clear emotion whether
it be laughter or distress.
Until Dawn is an interactive
love letter to all things horror.
Its immersive, with excellent
atmosphere throughout. Yes,
it has its problems especially

with its pacing, but its still
well designed and thought
out. The characters seamlessly
interconnect with one another,
with your choices and the
consequences having an impact
on how each scenario plays
out and on who lives or dies. It
encourages replayability and
hides glistening secrets within.
Until Dawn is an excellent

addition to any horror fans
PlayStation 4 collection, even
if borrowed or rented, youll
still be satisfied with a single
9-10 hour playthrough, but
the seeming unending paths
towards terror, gore, death and
salvation will keep you coming
back to see if you can survive
another night until dawn..
Until Dawn
7/10
165 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
Legends of Eisenwald Review

Release Dates
Publisher: Aterdux Entertainment

Developer: Aterdux Entertainment
Genre: Adventure
Platform: PC
ame of Thrones, which

Im sure we all watch
by now, is notorious
for its continuous plot twists
and characters with ulterior
motives. Every time I watch
it, I know I cant relax too
much, as the next betrayal or
murder will be just around
the corner. I cant say that
Out Now (Worldwide)
By VodKaVK
Legends of Eisenwald is exactly

like Game of Thrones, but that
restlessness and distrust that
every character inspires is still
present. However, the way the
story of Legends of Eisenwald
is presented lacks the flair the
show has. Even though you still
get that feeling of melancholy
and desperation, and know that
you cant trust any NPC with

personality, you can still look at
the mechanics and feel like a
child again, knowing that theyre
far from being mature and in
tune with the tone of the story.
The game that comes to mind
when looking at Iis none
other than the prodigal Age
166 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
of Empires. Theres plenty to
discriminate between one
and the other, indeed, but
their affinity is clearly visible,
particularly in the campaign and
visuals. Legends of Eisenwald
does not require you to
manage cities and distribute
resources, commerce with
other factions or create battle
strategies with your different
battalions. It is much more
narrative-focused, putting
emphasis on the individual
story of your character, with
a clearly delineated story arc,
but not so much personality.
Namely, it is clear what drives
the characters throughout
the story, but they feel quite
empty and their dialogue
lines are bereft of charisma.
This is perhaps one of the
main problems in Legends
of Eisenwald: the dull and
uninspired exposition. As your
party travels across the latemedieval lands of Eisenwald
in Germany, apparently
youll find a plethora of people
to talk with. Youll discuss about
politics, gossip about incestuous
relationships, seal deals, buy
equipment and more. However,
theres a lot of meaningless text
and no voice over. It seems
that the nobility protocol of
interaction has thoroughly been

transposed into this game,
which feels that most of the
things theyre saying could be
massively summed up, with
little to no significance in setting
the world or the story. Whats
more, although the grand
scheme of the story has its
perils and thrills, the minutiae
of the drama that allows

it to happen is completely
unimportant and superfluous to
the player, and the exposition
makes it even duller altogether.
The storyline I followed is one
of revenge, where I, a Baroness,
was betrayed by my bannermen
and (now former) allies, who
167 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
killed my whole family while I

was away from the castle. She
sets out to seek revenge and
army to reconquer her lands,
and make the traitors pay for
their crimes. Throughout her
quest, she meets plenty of
characters and hear plenty
of stories that intend to add
flavour to the world, but the way
this quest is told makes them
counterproductive. In many
occasions, it seems they are
side plots that the developers
included to give you more play
time and simulate the feeling of
choice, whereas no matter what
you decide to partake in, the
choices are devoid of meaning.
Its a pity that this fantastic
world was seasoned with dull
exposition, as there are enough

characters and theatrics to
produce an enticing story.
Legends of Eisenwald has
three different storylines.
Depending on who you choose
at the beginning of the game, a
Knight, a Baroness or a Mystic,
the story of the game unfolds
differently. As a Knight, your
assets are melee-based; as
the Baroness, you wield either
a bow or a crossbow to take
down enemies from a distance;
and as the Mystic, you can use
magic to modify stats in your
favour. The characters that
join your endeavours along
the campaign are variations
of these: pikemen, cavalry,
healers, etc.; and any variation

of these that you can achieve
as you level up and find loot to
customise your characters. Of
course, these characters have
different abilities and work
best in different situations.
The combat in this game can be,
at first, somewhat obtuse due
to an apparent lack of depth.
During the first stages of the
game, it is true that the combat
is simple way too simple, as
each character can only attack
the nearest enemy to them.
However, as you gather up
advocates to your cause and
they start gaining experience,
the abilities that they acquire
leave room for a much wider
168 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
combat system. My strategy was
always based around pikemen,
who deal special damage if an
enemy charges towards them.
I made sure I bought plenty
of armour and weapons to
strengthen them, and with a
couple of boosts by mages and
a reliable line of archers behind,
I had an impenetrable front
line that withstood any attack.
Nevertheless, all battles
ultimately can become
negligible, as the slow turnbased system can alienate
many. I found the inclusion of
a button that allows the battle
to resolve itself really odd,
which becomes particularly
useful in those that are too
challenging. Its not that I dont
like a good challenge, its that
I didnt find battles and their
outcome rewarding enough
to be bothered to knuckle
down and think every move
through. I spent the first great
part of the game doing so,
but after a while, I decided
that I was wasting my time.
and care on dispersed twice

just for the sake of the story,
making it feel quite artificial.
This made my party all the more
indifferent to me, as I saw them
as heads for hire, rather than
loyal allies only loyal because
they didnt have a brain; I bet
they would have stabbed me
in the back if they had been
able. This was even more
noticeable when one of my
best men decided not to fight
for me because I didnt have
money to pay for his services.
This takes me to the

unexplained economy. The
way you gather money from
conquered towns and fallen
enemies is soon picked up, but
it is difficult to notice. You start
off with a ton of money, which
quickly evaporates if you hire
many mercenaries. However,
if you keep a considerable
amount of towns under your
control by fighting the mob
thats in control of them ,
you can collect taxes from
them. Winning battles will also
reward you with money, but not
If I had been able to keep all

characters throughout the
game, maybe I would have been
more attached to them, but in
the first five hours, my party
which I had spent money
169 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
enough to rely your economy

on them. This constantly keeps
you on the lookout for any town
that may have been retaken
by rebel factions, and puts a
constraint on what you buy,
making you focus on paying
the mercenaries, rather than

providing them with the best
habiliment, particularly if they
all vanish as you finish the level.
It is in terms of visual style
and level progression where
we see the similarities with

Age of Empires (maybe with
Baldurs Gate too, but in lesser
measure). Whereas the music
is excellent a sort of Celtic
tune to them that is very
suggestive of medieval times,
the visuals are obsolete; theyre
just too functional, which may
present as a problem. The
scale of people and building
is strangely disproportionate,
and although I understand that
the sprite of my character is
symbolic and represents my
170 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
whole party, I cant help to think

that Age of Empires II, a game
from 1999, fared better in that
regard. All my main points of
criticism can be encapsulated
in this last statement, as
Legends of Eisenwald feels
like an anachronism.
Legends of Eisenwald would
have been an incredibly
good game had it been made
fifteen years ago. The combat
mechanics are dated and
lack the depth that we see
in modern days, whereas

the introduction to the
mechanics and the exposition
of the story are neglectful
and unentertaining when we
frame it in modern-day game
storytelling. Its not all vicennialold trends, but what is not isnt
significant enough to make

a hit. I didnt love this game,
but some child inside me was
awaken with feelings strangely
familiar. Videogames have
evolved a lot in the past 15
years, but Legends of Eisenwald
is still stuck on the late 90s.
6/10
171 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
Party Hard
Party Hard Review

Release Dates
Publisher: tinyBuild
Developer: Pinokl Games
Genre: Action
Platform: PC
Out Now (Worldwide)
By Andrew Duncan
place all on one screen, your

character is committing all of
these murders through their
own volition, you only have
a knife, and people generally
dont care that all of these
partiers are being slain.
hen I previewed
this, it was a single
level which I played
over and over again. The tune
got stuck in my head. And its
still there. Its driven me so
crazy, I want to murder people!
Luckily, I have a game in which
to do it -- its a vicious cycle.
Party Hard is a game where
you follow the exploits of
a man who just wanted to
sleep, when a house party
wouldnt stop. So he snapped
and went on a rampage

across America, pursued by a
police force who had no way
to stop him as he hit shindig
after rave in 12 locations.
Its hardly Chaucer, but this
is a game with pixel graphics
and music that just. keeps.
looping. Its meant to be fun,
and by hell it certainly is. It has
a Hotline Miami vibe to it, with
a humourous take on uber
violence, but there are many
differences. The action takes
They are put out that there is

the odd body scattered about,
and if they spot a fresh one
they will call the police, but
its never enough to end the
party. Even when you set fire
to the dance floor, or let off a
smoke bomb upon it and stab
everyone, the worst you will
see are people complaining
These bodies are getting me
down. Well, the worst that
will happen is your arrest,
but thats besides the point.
The failure criteria are: you get
arrested or you kill yourself.
Get spotted as many times as
you like, and so long as you
172 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
Party Hard
can escape the fuzz, you are

generally able to get off scotfree. You can stab three people
in plain sight of everyone,
but as long as you can run far
enough, the police will give up
and people will seem to forget
that you did anything. Though
a few partiers might beat you
unconscious for a few seconds
if youre too obvious about it.
Its actually a little more
complicated than that, as
each person has a suspicion

meter. The higher it gets, the
more likely they are to finger
you for a new murder, and
will make sure to stay away
from you if you move near to
them. Not that you have to
be near them to kill them.
some of the most fun things are

placed randomly each time you
start a level. Horses, bears and
pandas, entire room layouts,
exploding speakers and gumball
machines If you replay a level
four times, you probably wont
see the exact same layout twice.
As well as the stabbing are the

mostly-random environmental
hazards. Some things like
telephones and DJ decks are
going to always be there, but
And replay you shall, as Party

Hard is a challenging game.
I usually hate too much
of a challenge, but when
youre down to seven victims
173 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
Party Hard
remaining and run out of

stamina just too late to stop
the one who fingered you from
reaching the phone I wont
lie, I hated so many of the
party-goers for dobbing me in,
I never left a level unfinished
before exiting the game. I had
to restart one level almost 20
times, and the last attempt
took me over 12 minutes of
meticulous planning, but this
is the hardest game Ive kept
myself from rage-quitting.
It has crashed a couple of
times, however. Not for any
particular reason, though
perhaps as if to tell me Youve
played enough for now. There
was also at least one instance
of a woman walking without
her limbs moving. Apart from
that, I didnt encounter any

issues with Party Hard.
The one bad point I would
remark on, is that things can be
a little repetitive. I personally
dont mind it, but I know that
some people would blast

the game due to it being the
same thing over and over.
Start a level, set up some
environmental kills, follow
some people and stab them,
hide the bodies or run away
before theyre seen, rinse
and repeat. With 12 levels
at seven minutes each on
average, its a short game -- so
long as you can do a perfect
run. You can easily spend
half an hour on one level and
not manage to complete it.
The length of Party Hard is
extended by making it pure
Lets Play material. It has
Twitch compatibility builtin right out of the box. You
have to go to Twitch and get
174 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
Party Hard
a code, but once its authorised

you can interact with viewers
from inside the game. In each
level there are a series of events
with a timer running down, for
a couple of minutes. As each
viewer types in a number into
the chat, the game tallies them
up and one of three random
events will occur in the party.
It can be a bear attack, a SWAT
raid, a bunch of party girls will
arrive These random events
can be triggered by the player
using the same phone partiers
will use to call the police, but
only once per level. It can

make things more challenging,
or easier, depending on
what viewers choose. Will
you get more victims, or
will a bear help you out?
Its also a good sign that, less
than a week after release,
developer Pinokl Labs

released a content update,
and confirmed that they will
never release DLC, just free
content. So it turns out that
even if you find it repetitive,
it will be a while before
you cant come back to the
game every so often..
Party Hard
8/10
175 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
Executive Assault
Executive Assault Review

Release Dates
Publisher: Hesketh Studios

Developer: Hesketh Studios
Genre: Action
Platform: PC
Out Now (Worldwide)
By Christian Wootton
arly Access games have

a bit of a bad reputation
at the moment thanks to
one or two titles that have not
done themselves any favours
by failing to meet expectations.
Thankfully Executive Assault
has none of those failings.
Being a hybrid RTS and FPS
game it looks a bit Derek
176 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
Executive Assault
Smart at first glance, but unlike

that luminary of gamings past
titles it meets and in many
ways exceeds its expectations.
The game itself has a really
rather simple set up. You are
the CEO of a super corporation
out to do what mankind does
best, strip everything in sight
of resources, killing anything
that gets in the way. The
simplest way to do this is build a
shedload of units and buildings,
steamroller the opposing
Corporations own buildings
and units and then shoot their
CEO in the face. Simple isnt it?
No, its not. As the CEO you

are using a neural interface
to connect to the facilities
of your own base, designing
new things (weapons, units
etc.), building new things, and
defending yourself from the
opposition. Said opposition
is of course trying to shoot
you in the face in turn so you
better watch out for that.
instances of your thinking (in

the words of fictional astronaut
Mark Watney) Im f**ked and
Im gonna die! because nothing
will work and your opponent
will just wander right in and
you wont be able to do a thing
to stop it. After this you have
Thorium and one named after
the developer (Heskosium)
for the more complex bits.
The game has five resources

for you to juggle, the basic one
is Iron. This is what you make
almost everything from so make
sure you have buckets of it.
Next up is Electricity, without
this youre stuffed, leading to
Gameplay in Executive Assault

is smooth, with A.I opponents
having some brain to them as
well as amusing names like The
Janitor and The Shift Supervisor,
and the switch between RTS and
FPS is easy to manage thanks
177 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
Executive Assault
to a UI that makes sense and
is a nice and clear, you have
no idea how pleasing that is
to someone who has had to
wrestle with far too many clunky
RTS UIs in the past (Im looking
at you Battlecruiser 3000ad).
UI which displays exactly

enough information without
being needlessly cluttered.
The surprising thing about

Executive Assault is that its the
product of a one man studio.
Yes you read that right, this
There are one or two downsides is all the product of Robert
to the game though, the inability Hesketh, he of Hesketh Studios.
to blow up the other sides
buildings is an annoyance and
All in all, this is a tight, funny,
some of the visuals for the
enjoyable melding of two
resources are a little on the
disparate genres that works
small and difficult to spot side,
rather well. If you enjoyed
but that could just be my ageing
eyes failing me once again.
Researching new designs is
done through another clean
and easy to understand
Carrier Command : Gaia

Mission youll love this one
too. The extensive research
tree allowing you to create
gigantic robots piloted by
Martini drinking pilots, orbital
strikes that obliterate the whole
map, direct control of any unit
you choose, cooperative or
adversarial multiplayer and
continuing updates from the
developer all combine to make
this one to buy, play, and keep
an eye on now its out of Early
Access and at release stage.
Executive Assault
8.5/10
178 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
Executive Assault
179 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
Shadowrun: Hong Kong
Shadowrun: Hong Kong Review

Release Dates
Publisher: Harebrained Holdings

Developer: Harebrained Holdings
Genre: RPG
Platform: PC
Out Now (Worldwide)
By Ian Kuan
hadowrun, the pen

and paper game, is an
exercise in improvisation.
As a squad of off the books
mercenaries, hours of planning
and legwork go into a job before
players actually dive in and
go for their payday. Jobs are
completed or failed in minutes
and plans never survive contact
with the enemy because twists
are an integral part of the
game. This cocktail of chaos
inevitably leads to intensely
dramatic and comically absurd
moments during a given
mission. Its nearly impossible
to capture this dichotomy in a
videogame with no live game
master, but Shadowrun: Hong
Kong comes damn close.
Set in the cyberpunk-meetsfantasy dystopia of 2050s Hong
Kong, Shadowrun: Hong Kong
is the third installment of the
Shadowrun Returns series.
180 GameOn Magazine
Reviews

A deep, highly customizable
character generation system
greeted me when I began a
new game - standard fare
for the notoriously complex
Shadowrun franchise. Skills and
attributes are purchased with
Karma points that are spent at
character creation and earned
throughout the game - there is
no character class system, so
the player can mix and match
as they see fit. After I spent
an inordinate amount of time
crafting my character, she was
thrown against the shores of
Hong Kong and embroiled in
the case of her missing father
and his mysterious plea for
help. If this sounds familiar,
then youve likely played

Returns and Dragonfall, since
all three games use very similar
hooks - amongst other things.
While the game still employs
the Unity engine, graphics
and animations are slightly
slicker than in the previous two

games. Characters move with
more energy and pizzazz, and
environments have a greater
density of detail. The visuals
wont win any competitions
with AAA titles, but the art
direction gives the game the
181 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
cyberpunk look it deserves.

Character portraits are generally
crisp and detailed, but are
occasionally marred by a touch
of sloppy photoshop. One
troll I spoke to had tusks that
were obviously tacked on, as
they were not wreathed with
lips but sitting rather plainly
on his face. Sound design
falls into the same ballpark,
with gunshots, footsteps, and
environmental fluff meandering
through various shades of
average. The aural landscape

of Shadowrun: Hong Kong
has very little oomph to it.
The vast majority of sound
effects are atmospheric, with
only a few combat sounds
providing a significant amount
of drama. Fortunately, the
meat of the gameplay and
story are far better.
Though very similar to that of
the previous titles, interaction
with the game world has
been improved. Outside of

combat, basic logic puzzles and
challenges abound. Once the
lead starts flying, time congeals
into a turn based system
where positioning and proper
use of special abilities is key.
While the AI isnt very bright,
enemies pose enough of a
challenge to make for some nail
biting encounters. The biggest
flaw with combat is that the
cover system is inconsistent corners in particular are difficult
to parse when it comes to
flanking. Though some players
may choose to skip hacking
entirely, computerized warfare
is completely different from
Returns and Dragonfall. Hacker
characters now need to avoid
182 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
virtual security patrols while

jacked in and play a simple, but
fun, pair of matching games
to access valuable data.
While scrolling through the
lengthy text of Shadowrun:
Hong Kong I alternated between
rapt reading of fascinating
dialogue to spitting out my
water with laughter. The game
has a distinct, gritty feel that is
complemented by believable
characters whose lines enriched
an already bountiful setting.
From the conspiratorial
overtures of the main plot to
random people on the street,
Shadowrun: Hong Kong makes
every conversation feel right.
Deeply personal stories come
out a little more easily than

they do in real life, but their
contents are logical and make
for good reading. Of particular
note are the varied personalities
of the players runner team.
From tortured and unsure
Duncan Wu to pleasantly
sarcastic Gobbet, each of the
characters unfolds into a page
turning story. Furthermore,
humorous anecdotes and
situations abound. Illegal online
poetry slams, rogue noodle
dispensers, and snarky dialogue

all had me busting a gut at the
most unexpected moments.
With its colorful setting and
top notch writing, its hard to
dislike Shadowrun: Hong Kong.
Hardcore RPG fans will definitely
find their money well spent,
but even more casual fans
can select one of the games
pre-generated characters
and appreciate the plot.
8/10
183 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
No Time To Explain Remastered
No Time To Explain Remastered Review

Release Dates
Publisher: tinyBuild
Developer: tinyBuild
Genre: Platformer
Platform: PC, Xbox One
t is truly amazing how a

game that was created in
something as simple as
Flash and turns into something
as amazing as a game like The
Binding of Isaac. No Time to
Explain Remastered is one
of those games. TinyBuild
studios managed to take a
Flash game that was great
in idea, however due to the
limitations of the Flash engine
Out Now (Worldwide)
By Matt Wilhelm
couldnt really shine in practice.

When the studio decided
to remaster the game, they
tweaked and fixed things until
the game was the enjoyable
platformer that it is today.
The story of the game is very
minimal, and by minimal I
mean that there is no actual
driving plot behind the game.
You start out relaxing in your
living room when a man breaks

through your wall and says, I
am you from the future, theres
no time to explain, follow me
to and a giant crab arm
reaches through your wall and
drags your future self away.
That is about as far as the story
goes with this game, you are
tasked with saving variations of
your future self from a variety
of different creatures. Some
would think that this would be
a negative in any game, but I
found that after completing
a few levels I did not care.
As you make your way through
a variety of levels you will start
using new guns to make your
way across treacherous pits
and spikes. It will take a bit of
trial and error to get used to
how each gun propels your
character and some of them are
pretty aggravating. The shotgun
fires slowly, but launches your
184 GameOn Magazine
Reviews

character in a farther arc than
the laser gun does. While this
type of gameplay will sound
simple it is actually similar in
difficulty to Super Meat Boy. It
will take you multiple attempts
to learn how to complete
certain levels and its not
because of moving enemies
like Super Mario, instead the
entire map is your enemy.
You will find levels with the
occasional enemy; however the
real challenge is the spiky walls
and floors that create some
seriously challenging obstacles.
Luckily the best part of the game
is that you dont have a limited
number of lives for the level,
instead you have an infinite
number of tries until you reach
a boss, then you have three lives
to kill it. One problem I still have
with the gameplay mechanics
in No Time To Explain is that
the laser rifles physics dont
always respond accordingly.
What I mean by this is that the
rifle wont always keep you in
the air as long as it should.
While the games mechanics
have vastly improved since
the Flash version, the graphics
remain somewhat the same.
The big difference comes with
the ultra-smooth framerate and
well done visual effects with

explosions. While some might
see this as lazy or unoriginal
I found that I would rather
have a game that looked as
good as this and ran smoothly,
instead of a game that has
vastly superior graphics but
only runs at twenty frames.
Overall the game was definitely
a lot of fun and had a good
sense of humor to it. Thats not
all it has going for it thought,

the game is actually a lot
tougher than it looks and you
will find yourself sinking many
an hour into this interesting
platformer. With your future
self yelling, Im sorry I ever
pirated Roller Coaster Tycoon
and How long have I been
bleeding! How is this even
possible!? the game definitely
has some great dialogue.
7/10
185 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
Risen 3: Titan Lords - Enhanced Edition
Risen 3: Titan Lords - Enhanced Edition Review

Release Dates
Publisher: Deep Silver

Developer: Piranha Bytes
Genre: RPG
d like to preface this with

the fact that, whereas I
have Risen 2 - Dark Waters
in my Steam library, I havent
gotten around to playing it yet.
And I wasnt even aware there
was a Risenbefore I got it.
This means I went into Risen
3: Titan Lords - Enhanced
Edition with no expectations,
other than what I remember
Out Now (Worldwide)
By Andrew Duncan
from our review of the original

version. Which honestly was
nothing. The Enhanced Edition
is basically just better graphics
and added DLC. Apart from
containing all updates, fixes
and DLC, the graphics are
now comparable to Ultra
settings on the PC version.
The first thing that players will
see is a ripoff of the Game of
Thrones opening credits. Some

epic-esque music playing over
a map as parts of it are swiftly
constructed. I was so surprised
by how blatant it was, especially
as the series itself is worldrenowned, that I had to check
whether the first two games
did the same. Neither of them
do. Dont get me wrong, its a
good idea to get the lay of the
land, but be a little subtler...
186 GameOn Magazine
Reviews

As the game starts, we meet
the piratey brother/sister
combination, Patty and her
brother Yes, despite both
being the children of the dread
pirate Steelbeard (whom I
really hoped was a cyborg!),
only Patty has a name. This
is likely due to her being a
recurring character, which Im
not sure her brother is. As the
rest of the game is quite wellwritten and full of lore, the
fact that you play a nameless
bloke is kind of jarring. Im
all for immersion, but having
a name doesnt nullify it.
With Patty and bro arriving at
the Gold Coast after a brief
tutorial inside a nightmare, I
did find myself quite enjoying
the graphics. You can zoom
in to three levels, which helps
with the somewhat awkward
combat. Because of course,
youre attacked shortly after
arrival, and will learn too late
that your secondary weapon
ammunition is quite limited.
Swinging the sword is explained
as being similar to Middleearth: Shadow of Mordor,
with combos happening
to timed button presses.
However, it is much more
awkward than that. You can do
187 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
combos, but if you time them

wrongly you will do a different
swing which will open you up
to being hit by the enemy.
And given that the enemies
like to use multiple attacks,
this can quickly whittle your
health down as you do pain
animation after pain animation,
sometimes being knocked down
and so completely open to any
attack. You can defend some of
the hits, but occasionally there
is no way of knowing which
strike it will work against. You
can also roll away -- but

usually this just means
they turn around and hit you
before youve gotten up from
the roll and swung. It does help
that youre allowed to take one
of your seven crew members
along with you, to take some of
the constant heat off of you.
Outside of combat, the world is
quite rich and full of life. Birds
fly past, innocent monkeys
scamper hither and thither,
and the giant spiders are
fucking frightening. Playing
games for many, many years,
Ive seen dozens of zombies
and frighteningly mutated
monstrosities. Giant spiders
dont usually bother me, even

when going first-person in
Skyrim. However, a couple of
times my mild arachnophobia
ratcheted up to eleven and I
wanted to run -- but then Id
have been running away from
it until I ran out of stamina
and had to fight it anyway.
Enemies dont let you run
away I had two giant crabs,
three sand devils and a giant
spider all attacking me at
once, at one point, because I
didnt want to fight a bloody
crab and ran past it
Now I think about it, the last
time I was so startled by a
spider in a videogame, was
188 GameOn Magazine
Reviews

when I played Devil May
Cry Bloody lava-tarantulademon thing I noped that
game out of my PS2 and
never played another DMC.
When I first saw the world
map of Risen, I was a little
disappointed. There are
only a handful of islands
to travel to, and the sailing
is done via cutscenes, so I
figured it wouldnt take long
to do everything. Add in the
fact that, whereas The Elder
Scrolls V: Skyrim has every
second character giving you
a quest, Risen only has a few
with a strong drive towards
the main story, I really
wasnt expecting much.
I was proven incorrect on
both counts. The islands are
large and detailed, with lots
of people to talk to and a lot

more things to kill. The quests
dont come thick and fast, but
when they do come its not
always Go fetch this and Go kill
that -- though there are those
kinds of quests. Its an RPG
with giant spiders, of course
it has Go kill that quests
However, the problem with
having such large areas comes
when loading them. Its always
met with an autosave and
a one second pause, which
really messes with immersion.
Much more than naming the
main character, who is a set
entity and completely noncustomisable But given
that saving is a three-step
process, it does help to have
the odd auto-save -- it just
could have been handled
better. Ive noticed it with a
few enemies too, appearing

in a stutter and a flash.
Whilst Im talking about
graphical issues, there is a
problem with lighting. Whilst
talking to someone, when the
camera focusses on the other
person, it can go quite dark for
no apparent reason, lightening
again once it pulls back out.
This also happened whilst
fighting and going near the
shadow of a nearby mountain.
Finally, it seems unfair to
mention the frame rate
problems, such as going from
really smooth whilst looking
at the sea, to quite noticeably
lagging as soon as you look
at the dock next to you
But its not all bad, as I said
before the game does look
189 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
great. I saw one texture

problem, but other than that
it was very nice to look at. The
main characters voice actor
could have been better, but the
game sounds great too -- yes,
even the bloody giant spiders.
The four or five different types
of giant spiders The music isnt
very memorable, but it suits
the mood of the game well.
One thing I want to congratulate
developer Piranha Bytes is the
fact that there are lots of hidden

details. I love to explore, and
in Risen 3 it is encouraged.
Literally in the case of a guide
asking where you want to go.
Whilst exploring a part which
was out of the way, I found
two skeletons with apples on
their skulls, surrounded by
a pile of throwing knives. No
story, no quest, just an unlucky
pair who decided to let their
friend practice his circus act
which went awry -- I assume.
Why else would they be there?

Im genuinely curious!
Ill briefly mention the good vs
bad undertone of the game. I
cant talk about it much without
spoiling anything, so I apologise
for vaguarity. You get to make
many choices, which will affect
the ending of the game. Being
mean or violent will earn you a
bad point, being good and nice
gets you a good point. I love
the way it is woven throughout
190 GameOn Magazine
Reviews
the conversations you have

with people. The difference
between saying I dont fucking
know and No idea, mate. can
alter how future conversations,
and the end of the game, go
-- just like in real life, being
mean can get you beaten up!
If youre up for a challenging
action RPG to spend 30+ hours
on, then Risen 3: Titan Lords
- Enhanced Edition is perfect
for you. Its not as long as
Dragon Age: Inquisition, but

the world is much fuller with
quests and people to meet.
Combat is challenging, but
can be satisfying when youre
doing it correctly. If youre a
fan of the series, well done
for waiting for the console

release. Fans of the genre or
even pirates in general will still
enjoy it, despite the few bugs
and challenging difficulty.
Risen 3: Titan Lords
8/10
191 GameOn Magazine
Thanks for reading!

See you next month!

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Battlefield 4 Review

Issue 50 December 2013

Issue 72 October 2015

Welcome to issue #72 of the GameOn Magazine!

But first, in our articles section, Socrates had a

We finally have those gamescom previews we

play around with PES 2016 (to pair up with our

promised in the last issue, which really do make up

preview by Dom), James gives some tips on your

most of our content this month with 25 of them!

Rocket League game and Ryan thinks hes Stalin.

Amongst them (because who wants to type all those

So, with something for all tastes of gaming, go

game titles out!) are Armikrog and Action Henk from

read the rest of the issue! See you next month!

Luke, WWE 2K16 and Heavy Gear Assault from Dom,

Editor-in-Chief - Steve Greenfield

We have a couple of other previews too, with the

Games Critic - James Bralant

SHORT THOUGHT: WHEN SHOULD I GET DESTINY?

MAD MAX GAMESCOM PREVIEW

METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN GAMESCOM PREVIEW

Issue 72 October 2015

FIVE CHANGES COMING TO FIFA 16

The Lost Levels of So I Tried.....................................6

WWE 2K16 GAMESCOM PREVIEW

Action Henk gamescom Preview.........................104

The Lost Levels of So I Tried...

The Lost Levels of So I Tried...

f youre a regular reader

too many of them. But Ive

entry of the series and had to

Issue 72 October 2015

The Lost Levels of So I Tried...

really should have expected

a better log of what I play

Holding Back the Hordes in Total War: Attila - Part 2

Holding Back the Hordes in Total War: Attila - Part 2

Issue 72 October 2015

In the first part of this series, I

Alaric, reversing the path of

Holding Back the Hordes in Total War: Attila - Part 2

Holding Back the Hordes in Total War: Attila - Part 2

Issue 72 October 2015

Holding Back the Hordes in Total War: Attila - Part 2

smaller battles against various

something Im entirely used to,

With the Empire now engulfed

Holding Back the Hordes in Total War: Attila - Part 2

Issue 72 October 2015

suffering a small amount of

resist any probing threats for

Holding Back the Hordes in Total War: Attila - Part 2

Issue 72 October 2015

attrition. Its difficult to predict

located where Id like them

Short Thought: When Should I Get Destiny?

Short Thought: When Should I Get Destiny?

hen Destiny was

Issue 72 October 2015

Short Thought: When Should I Get Destiny?

Issue 72 October 2015